House Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Establish COOL Regs on Dairy Products
The Dairy COOL Act of 2014, HR-3935 (here), would amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to institute country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements for dairy products. The amendment would cover dairy products such as fluid milk, cheese (including cottage cheese and cream cheese), yogurt, ice cream, butter and any other dairy product. The legislation would require U.S. dairy imports to include information on each country the product or product components originated or were sourced from. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., introduced the legislation on Jan. 27.
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“Rep. Pocan is introducing the legislation because the previous recalls of tainted foreign milk by producers all over the world brought many of the labeling issues to the forefront. Given the threat tainted dairy products pose to public health, consumers deserve to know exactly where their dairy products are coming from,” said a Pocan spokesman. “This bill will also help all American dairy farmers stand out in a crowded marketplace while helping to ensure the safety of our dairy products.” The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (here) established COOL regulations for muscle cuts of beef, lamb, and pork; ground beef, ground lamb, and ground pork; farm-raised fish; wild fish; a perishable agricultural commodity; peanuts; and meat produced from goats; chicken, in whole and in part; ginseng; pecans; and macadamia nuts.