Pet-food recall: Country of origin labeling
By Gina Spadafori
April 14, 2007
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We’ve hit on this before, that an important aspect of consumer rights is for all food labels to have country of origin listed. Bringing up from the comments (Thanks, Mike!), this piece from the Farm & Ranch Guide:
Food manufacturers have long held the belief that American consumers want the cheapest food available.
This mishap with pet food can serve as a wakeup call that using the cheapest food ingredients can actually become a costly mistake.
The wheat gluten that caused the deaths of the pets did not come from the United States.
Country of Origin Labeling is one way to assure that Americans have the opportunity to purchase food raised in the United States.
Here’s information on COOL, from the USDA. And here’s a link to Americans For Country of Origin Labeling.
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Country of origin labels are a good start, but what about listing where the ingredients originate? So the raw materials are shipped over, not inspected, added to our pet food, and our food too sometimes, and then sold. COOL = U.S.A.
I’ve been duped again. Sigh! Meaningless is we don’t inspect overseas shipments of edible products.
Linda MS
Comment by Linda — April 14, 2007 @ 8:32 am
The “COOL” (Country of Origin Labeling) article points to how quiet, behind the scenes, political decisions can make our pets and ourselves less informed, and even less safe. We should include our call for this law to be enforced in writing to Sen. Durbin et al.
Note that Pres. Bush has twice rolled back legislation that passed that would label foods by country of origin.
http://www.farmandranchguide.c.....tter01.txt
Sorry if this is a repeat, but I posted it on a different blog yesterday:
“Country of Origin Labeling passed several years ago but USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service has yet to implement the law. (…)
Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, is an initiative of the 2002 farm bill. It requires country of origin labeling for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable ag products and peanuts.
President Bush signed a public law on Jan. 27, 2004, that called for a delay in implementing COOL for all commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until Sept. 30, 2006.
Then on Nov. 10, 2005, the President signed another public law delaying the implementation until Sept. 30, 2008.(…)”
Comment by Maureen — April 14, 2007 @ 8:37 am
Dubya & Maoists Massacred Fluffy
http://www.wirelessforums.org/.....19773.html
….Country of origin food labeling was mandated by the 2002 Farm Bill.
However, President Bush and the globalist Republican Congress gave into pressure from lobby groups such as the American Meat Institute and twice postponed mandatory food labeling. It still amazes me that you can convince a U.S. Congressman to place the public at risk for the price of a round of golf!
US Food Giants Fight Country of Origin Labeling
Grocers,
Meatpackers Fight Law To Label Origin of Food Products
Wall Street Journal 6/26/03
http://www.organicconsumers.or.....beling.cfm
Consumer group blames business dollars for defeat of COOL 9/16/2005 -
Millions of dollars spent in lobbying and elections has helped thwart a key food labeling law, claims a US consumer pressure group.
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.c.....foods-cool
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
Last edited by OrangeClouds115
http://www.recipeforamerica.org/page.php?id=9
….If you look on the USDA’s Economic Research Service webpage for information about COOL, you will find negative statements such as “mandatory labels are unlikely to increase food demand and likely will generate more costs than benefits.” The anti-COOL lobby wants us to believe that consumers do not demand COOL and that COOL is too expensive to implement. However, a poll conducted in 2005 showed that 85% of those surveyed want COOL, 74% support a mandatory COOL, and 55% have “little or not much trust” in the meat, seafood, produce, and grocery industries to adhere to a voluntary program. And the Government Accountability Office reports that the “USDA used assumptions that are questionable and not well supported in developing its $1.9 billion estimate for the first year cost to industry.” In other words, the USDA exaggerated the cost of COOL in order to make it appear too expensive….
Comment by Mike — April 14, 2007 @ 9:25 am
I am unclear how COOL’s implementation would work in cases where, for example, a food (human or pet) has 14 ingredients, 7 from US, 4 from China, 1 from Brazil, 1 from Canada and 1 from Turkey - but the food was manufactured in the US? Would we see every country listed on the label next to the specific ingredient that country provided or would it simply list US since the food was manufactured here or what?
Comment by slt — April 14, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Comment by slt — April 14, 2007 @ 9:40 am
This is the first hit that comes up when you do an advanced search on Google:
http://www.ams.usda.gov/COOL/Q&A.htm
Certainly if this law could be extended to pet food, which is always a mixture of ingredients, country of origin could be specified for all products that don’t originate in the U.S. All it would take is the country’s letter code after the ingredient.
Comment by Maureen — April 14, 2007 @ 11:27 am
Sorry but after seeing who we’re dealing with, the PFI guy, ‘country of origin’ should be changed to ‘Agricultural Country of Origin’. Buying wheat gluten from a distributor in Germany who buys it from China does not make for German wheat gluten and the standards associated with it.
Comment by Frank — April 14, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
Where a food is manufactured is different from country of origin of the ingredients. We need BOTH.
1. In which plant (identified with an a snail mail address) was the food produced, with an 800 number for that plant. The name/owner of the plant may not necessarily be the brand name that is on the bag or can, and we need to know if they are different.
2. Country of origin for the ingredients—this is the COOL that has been previously mentioned.
I suspect that pet food companies will be very reluctant to provide us with the manufacturing plant information as well as the country of origin of the ingredients. Probably especially the latter if they have been importing from places with poor reputations for food safety.
As we know, human food companies have been strongly resisting the implementation of COOL, and so it has been repeatedly delayed. Of course COOL does not appear to include pet food products in proposed legislation. SO FAR, but we can change that by contacting our Congress critters. The lobbyists will also be contacting the same people, so we have an upward battle against very deep-pocketed opponents.
However, we don’t have to rely on legislation. We can contact the pet food manufacturers directly and request COOL and manufacturing plant information on every label. If we do this singly we may get ignored and pet food companies may band together to resist. But if we do this as a group—I don’t have a definite plan in mind—however, if this were done in an organized way, with some sort of group the pet food companies would/could recognize (I don’t know what group this might be, an already existing one or something entirely new) and then list publicly what each company’s response was, we might get somewhere.
Surely at least one company would be willing to break ranks and give us what we want. I know there are ethical manufacturers out there who do want the best for our pets. We just need to know who they are. If there are already any companies already putting this information on their labels, we need to recognize that fact publicly. Get the others to fall in line. The power of the purse is a great motivator!
We need a list for this similar to the ones that have been compiled on recalled and not recalled products.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa — April 14, 2007 @ 12:37 pm
Origin = “1. the source from which anything arises or is derived, 2. the first stage of existence, 3. birth or parentage”
The above is a dictionary definition of origin. In common usage it is the source not the shipper. However, there might be a legal definition of “origin” in the COOL legislation. This should be investigated before suggesting a change in terminology.
Melissa
Comment by Melissa — April 14, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Comment by slt — April 14, 2007 @ 9:40 am
“I am unclear how COOL’s implementation would work in cases where, for example, a food (human or pet) has 14 ingredients,”
I don’t think it would. Fish and shrimp are now COOL labeled. I watched a guy in the store yesterday pick up a package of frozen shrimp, turn it over and read the label and toss it back with a look of disgust. So I went over and looked. It said product of Thailand.
So I think it refers to all single item products, certainly all produce, maybe meat in the meat case. And may also include stuff like bags of flour, barley, etc. Most likely even health food stores would have to comply with labels on bulk items in bins. Might keep companies from putting out products that were mixed COO.
BUT, since all single ingredients would have to be labeled that came into the US, any manufacturer should be keeping track and this information should be available to the public. Probably won’t be on the box or can though.
I haven’t read through all those regs yet and don’t know if the label applies to where it is grown/harvested only. Brokers often don’t amass stuff from other countries in their own country, they just buy and sell “paper” loads of stuff, so for the most part the COOL would reflect where if actually came from.
Comment by CathyA — April 14, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
Another post from the South African news, pre-food recalls, about how we Americans treat our pets. Clearly, I have nothing better to do with my time this aftenoon :-(
http://www.news24.com/News24/E.....67,00.html
Comment by michelle — April 14, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
Why couldn’t an ingrediant label say something like: Meat (US), Chicken (Canada), wheat gluten (anywhere but China), eggs (Sri Lanka), etc? Might work, at least we would know SOMETHING - a lot more than we know now!
Comment by PJ — April 14, 2007 @ 7:27 pm
Comment by michelle — April 14, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
“The market growth reflects an intensifying bond between pets and their people, who are comforted by the unquestioning love of their animals in an affluent society where traditional institutions are frayed and mobility severs family ties.”
They make it sound like a bad thing? I love my kitty-girls = CRAZY? OH WELL, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later!
Comment by PJ — April 14, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
Ya we are all crazy…lol
Those crazy customers…
Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 14, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
Notice I say customers not consumers….I will take my business elsewhere.
Yes I choose to consume your products, thus I am a customer. Not just one that consumes blindly.
Comment by MonkeyKitty — April 14, 2007 @ 8:32 pm
While I feel ths is very important and should be done (both country of origin and every country that ingredient passed thru) there is even something that is more important. China makes our medicine now:
This is scary
Jane
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com....._drugs.asp
>For the past several years, many raw ingredients and even finished pills have been imported from India, China, or other countries. Prices are lower in these places, so the generic drug company saves money on materials. This may even help lower the price of generic medicines in the drugstore. But are there >adequate safeguards?
>But once this careful approval process is finished, the FDA stops paying close attention. The agency does not routinely monitor the quality of generic drugs—or even brand-name medications. Drug manufacturers are essentially >on the honor system.
Comment by Jane Anderson — April 16, 2007 @ 3:13 am
Jane Anderson
It is a concern. There are several large US drug and chemical companies in Asia and India. I’ve never been pleased with US companies packing their tents and moving to foreign countries. Personally as a Patriot, I consider them traitors. I think it leaves us wide open to many forms of terrorism. Not to mention the loss of jobs here. We are being sold out by big business and put in harm’s way. If this same scenario had occurred 100 years ago, I do believe we would all have marched to Washington and taken over.
Comment by Kathi — April 16, 2007 @ 4:08 am
FYI, Birdseye frozen veggies, COOL: China, Thailand - oh yummy.
Comment by Kathi — April 16, 2007 @ 4:17 am
The Boston Tea Party worked for our ancestors!!
Just a thought.
Comment by Kathi — April 16, 2007 @ 4:26 am
This shame on President Bush is not stopping the truth in labeling is absolutely incorrect and shows a misunderstanding of how the legislative and executive branks work.
It’s Congress that writes legislation. The delaying of COOL needs to be laid directly at the Capitol Building. Bush has two options… sign the Farm Bill he receives from Congress or veto the whole Farm Bill of which one of the provisions Congress wrote to delay (more like kill) the Truth in Labeling Rule.
Solution: Write, call Congress and the FDA and USDA to revive the truth in labeling which needs to be separate legislation from the whole farm bill.
To add some urgency…
Nestle / Purina just completed their fifth plan in Pakistan. Their claim is they want to be the milk products dominate producers of the world. Conagra has 10 plants in China. I don’t know about all of you but I certainly don’t want my food coming from communist countries no Arab states who harbor terr0rist.
Those studying the possibility of bioterr0rism to our food supply long before this contamination postulated that the animal food would be poisoned first. Pets being cherished to Americans first. Next animals that supply the human foods and meat and dairy products. Next the direct assault on the human food supply toxins added to non-animal related products.
This is a Homeland Security mandate clearly that needs to be addressed immediately.
Comment by Pat — April 16, 2007 @ 5:18 am
Corrections… I’ve been up all night working on entries writing people involved who may help us on the literature related to toxic poisonings of our pets.
Correction: Pakistan Plants
Correction: nor
These past weeks after the recall have been personally painful and worrisome to me praying my dogs have not been poisoned.
I am a contributing researcher for many pet groups and need to stay as current as possible and forward the very best sources along.
I cry for people who have lost their animals or have animals who did survive with damaged immune systems who will surely not live out their natural lifespans pre this intentional poisoning evil.
Comment by Pat — April 16, 2007 @ 5:26 am
Corrections:
Make that Pakistan Plant(s) and no(r) :{{
I have been up all night researching pet poisoning articles and sites so that I may write for various Internet outlets and groups to get the story out and call for action.
I am sure I am far from alone losing sleep since this wicked toxic poisoning began.
Comment by Pat — April 16, 2007 @ 5:32 am
Write to Birdseye veggies, tell them no sale and goodbye. Tell everyone also. When sales go down, let them know why. I will be doing that.
Comment by DeeAnn — April 16, 2007 @ 6:48 am
Pat
Cool was passed by congress in 2002, but President Bush’s USDA has not implemented it.
http://tinyurl.com/2v2rjr
Country of origin labeling still main goal of R-CALF
By Andrea J. Cook, Journal staff
If a cantaloupe from Costa Rica, Chinese sardines and fruit grown in the United States can be labeled to identify where they came from, it should be simple to label meat with its country of origin, U.S. livestock producers say.
Members of R-CALF USA, or Ranchers-Cattlemen’s Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America, who are committed to country-of-origin labeling say it is vital to protecting the nation’s food supply.
They are equally determined to protect consumers from the potential risk of allowing Canadian cattle older than 30 months of age back into the U.S. food supply.
Congress passed legislation in 2002 requiring country-of-origin labeling, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has resisted implementing COOL.
“Who would have known it would have taken this long over a deal so simple,” said Rick Fox of Hermosa, president of the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, which is affiliated with R-CALF USA.
“It has to come from the producers that demand it and consumers that demand these things,” Fox said.
Ultimately, it could be the deaths of people’s pets, attributed to a banned substance in imported wheat gluten, that puts pressure on USDA, Fox said. People are beginning to talk about the importance of a safe, local source of food, he said.
That’s the message that R-CALF, as a representative of the livestock industry, continues to carry into court and to the nation’s capital, Fox said.
“That’s basically what we’ve been about is having a U.S. food supply and having it labeled,” Fox said. “I think we’re making progress.”
USDA’s attempt to tie COOL to an animal identification system is “overkill in terms of obtaining the necessary information to determine country of origin,” said Bill Bullard, R-CALF’s chief executive officer.
The only products that need to be singled out for identification are those coming from imported animals, Bullard said.
Keeping the nation’s borders closed to cattle older than 30 months, OTM, of age is another R-CALF mission. Re-opening the border to the older Canadian cattle not only has the potential to harm livestock producers by flooding the market with cattle, but it increases the risk of exposing American consumers to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, also known as “mad cow disease,” R-CALF contends.
USDA is considering opening the border to the older Canadian cattle. Beef from the older cattle is banned in most international markets.
“We’ve always had the safest food standards in the world right here in the U.S.,” said Johnny Smith of Fort Pierre. Smith is a regional R-CALF director.
Smith blames “big business” for putting pressure on USDA to reopen the border. A Canadian bull recently tested positive for BSE, which indicates that Canada does not have control of the disease, he said.
In Great Britain, 1,000 people have died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain disease linked to BSE, Smith said.
“Yet our government in their infinite wisdom wants us to bring in crap from Canada,” he said. “The worst part is, they won’t label it. When it comes across the border, it is automatically U.S.A. meat.”
Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com
Comment by Schnauzer — April 16, 2007 @ 10:16 pm
Good Grief!
Help me here gang… as I’ve said I am operating with a real sleep deficit. I must admit I did some speedreading on the Congressional site that spoke (I think) of the delay in funding COOL in the 2002 Bill.
I am no Bush apologist as I have really been active in 2 issues, one directly related to animals… the Katrina. I really worked hard to see that animals must be made part of any locale or state evacuation plan.
Obviously the same subcommittee needs to wake up and get COOL moving. If it’s not been funded it needs to be. Don’t wait for the whole budget to pass. Get the bill out there Bush can sign immediately funding COOL.
Now what is this about Bird’s Eye??? I can’t keep up!
I tried my best to get the other side of the aisle to get behind this grassroots effort to protect the food supply both pet and human. I was censored on one wiki as a result.
Must we (US govt) always be in the crisis management mode and not act until a major debacle of huge proportion happens. Must our animals’ deaths be in vain?
I have gone to complete homefeeding and my two Scotties are thrilled. Thus far their health seems to be intact even tho. both tested above the high range on Alkaline Phosphatase but all other liver indicators we in normal ranges.
We went homefeeding when the first recall was announced.
Don’t tell me the human Bird’s Eye is now in question… OOoooo crud! When will this end?
Who makes Bird’s Eye and who actually owns it? Are they importing foreign food too???
Note folks that Nestle now has 5 new plants in Pakistan… one bragging to be the milk supplier dominate in the world’s market.
Help me out gang, please I have 3 different wikis out there and my own MSN Group trying to get the word out ASAP. I need to back them up to my harddrive again for an update lest they get hacked…
Anyone wanting to write to me on some background: aboutdogsxpen@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Pat - exhausted but determined to keep my family safe.
Comment by Pat — April 17, 2007 @ 4:10 am
>>President Bush signed a public law on Jan. 27, 2004, that called for a delay in implementing COOL for all commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until Sept. 30, 2006.
Then on Nov. 10, 2005, the President signed another public law delaying the implementation until Sept. 30, 2008.(…)”
Comment by Pat — April 17, 2007 @ 4:31 am
Drat I think my comments were truncated. It takes both sides of the aisle to write and amend legislation. Who on the Democratic side sponsored the delay bills? Who on the Republican side?
Is it possible to fight back the lobbies?
Sure take effort to include animals in every locale and state evacuation plans. I was heavily involved in seeing this was passed.
Also heavily involved fighting the graft spread around on the PAWs Bill that thank God was not forwarded out of committee.
Now I need to hush, get more coffee. When it wears off maybe I can sleep for a bit then back at it.
If anyone wants background email me here:
aboutdogsxpen@yahoo.com
Comment by Pat — April 17, 2007 @ 4:40 am
One other followup and that’s it for a while…
Who remembers the food poisonings at O’Charleys? eColi.
Turns out it was the green onion tops as garnish on foods such as nacho appetizers. Guess where those came from?
Mexico.
How did they fertilize the fields?
Human liquified feces.
Lovely eh?
Several people in our city were poisoned and other cities having O’Charleys using the same bulk shipment supplier.
So not only are our homes getting foreign … mmmm … dare I say … crap … thru foods but also restaurants. We all may want to think twice eating salads and raw fruits and veggies when we eat out… Yah think?
How did America go from being the world’s bread basket to being the world’s garbage dump?
We should have done as George … NO not that one… said… Beware of foreign alliances.
Fairly well George Washington unfortunately we didn’t listen!
Pat
Grossed out!
Comment by Pat — April 17, 2007 @ 5:12 am
I appreciate all the good advice to use our dollars to send a message to companies about what we want from them and to write to them when we see something we don’t like. I am doing more and more of both. And, I’d like to suggest going one step further — write letters to companies and stores who *are* doing what we like. They need to hear both messages from us. Positive reinforcement is needed too, just like we give our doggies and kitties. The companies that behave the way we want, need to be reinforced. That way we cover all the bases. For example, I was in one store this weekend and was about to purchase a couple products when I saw that they were made in Mexico and China. Didn’t buy them. Continued looking and found two products both made in the U.S.A. I bought those two and came home sent them an e-mail explaining why I didn’t buy those first two things and why I did buy the second two things, and thanked them for the country of origin labeling that allowed me to choose how and where to spend my dollars. I got a very nice email back from them yesterday explaining their policies (which didn’t change my mind) but also thanking me for taking the time to share my views. I have to believe that if enough of us make our views very, very clear along with channeling our dollars very carefully that it has to make a difference in the marketplace.
Comment by Marilyn — April 17, 2007 @ 5:49 am
Ah good idea. An honor role list!
I still do not trust any feed company. We have no idea where all the ingredients came from at the moment.
If we can reach those claiming to us US Agricultural Products and US machinery in processing we need a list of their suppliers.
Remember the initial track back on Menu went to an American distributor of wheat gluten. It took some digging to find out the Chinese Communist Company was the initial supplier of Chinese and who knows what other countries’ products. The Chinese Company has suppliers from other countries such as Vietnam.
Do careful research before adding any company to an honoroll list.
Meanwhile reread:
Source: api4animals.org http://www.api4animals.org/fac.....1#reprints
Facts: What’s Really in Pet Food?
When making contacts ask why the food costs what it does? How much profit must they make especially those who claim their ingredients are “balanced.” What does that mean?
I am appauled how many people even on the Menu Foods Recall and Animals in Recovery are recommending brands for others to switch to. Have they personally confirmed the companies manufacture and process “human food grade?”
Those who recommended Natural Balance Dry obviously didn’t research that Diamond packages their dry food. A fact we did not know accordng to their website and marketing literature.
Do you think the food recommenders of Natural Balance now regret their recommendations?
Would the company electives prove human grade by eating their own dry and canned product for a week?
No kidding that would be a real acid test!
Remember Ralph Nader … those old enough that is … writing about the Corvair … unsafe at any speed. At this juncture in time we may choose this phrase “dogfood, unsafe at any feed.”
Comment by Pat — April 17, 2007 @ 6:30 am
Make that executives on eating their dog food product as well as production line inspectors.
Just what is human grade?
I would rather not eat pig’s feet and chitlins personally. But to each his/her own.
Comment by Pat — April 17, 2007 @ 6:36 am
Country of Origin on labels will give the consumer a choice. Problem is the International broker’s and buyers-importers will not do any paper or computer records untill they are forced to do it. All they want to do is sell or buy to make a high commision. http://www.scoringcontainers.com tracks all ingredients and the transportation but the broker say that it privy info and no one needs to know their source of ingredients and how it was made. Your so right Pat,it’s not about safe food but its about how much profit I can make from inferior and unsafe ingredients.
Comment by William Kanitz — April 17, 2007 @ 7:32 am