New U.S. food-label rules likely to affect Canadian cattle producers

U.S. shoppers will be able to tell where their fresh food comes from starting Monday under a new policy that is expected to have implications for Canadian cattle producers.

Country of origin labels — or COOL — are now mandatory for most fresh meats, along with some fruits, vegetables and other foods.

Foods packaged outside the United States have long required labels indicating their country of origin.

The new labelling policy extends that requirement to fresh foods. In the case of meats, some labels will list where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered.

It is expected the move will help consumers protect their health by avoiding foods from countries experiencing food-borne illnesses.

It's also popular with ranchers in the northern part of the United States who compete with Canadian cattle producers. They expect consumers will favour meat from cattle raised in the U.S.

For years, Canada had been virtually free of mad cow disease. But in August 2006, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed a case of mad cow disease in an older cow in Alberta. It was the fifth case in 2006 and the eighth since 2003.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month asked the meat industry to go beyond the new policy, which was written by the Bush administration, to be even more specific about where an animal was born, raised and slaughtered.