COOL Implementation Begins With Seafood

Despite efforts by seafood industry trade groups, mandatory country-of-origin labeling will go into effect tomorrow for fish and shellfish. Many observers expect enforcement to focus on education for the first year. COOL regulations for meat and produce will begin Sept. 30, 2006, despite a recent attempt in the Senate Appropriations Committee to move the date forward to Jan. 1, 2005. The COOL rule will require producers, packers, retailers and others to track and label the origin of all components of a product.