The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service has published Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) fact sheets for retailers, suppliers and consumers in six more languages. In addition to English, the fact sheets are now available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese on the AMS website. The new versions of the fact sheets aim to help ensure stakeholders have the information they need to comply with federal laws and underscores USDA’s commitment to removing barriers that would hinder access of its programs, services and informational resources.
COOL is a law enacted by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, or 2002 Farm Bill, requiring retailers, including grocery stores, supermarkets and club warehouse stores, to provide their customers with information about the source of certain foods. Food products covered by the current law include muscle-cut and ground meats; lamb, goat, and chicken; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; peanuts, pecans and macadamia nuts; and ginseng.