A new development has occurred in the ongoing legal battle regarding Country of Origin Labels (COOL) for meat products. These labels have been met with strong opposition by organizations who believe that this statute hurts meat sales from farmers across international lines. However, data from a study conducted by C. Robert Taylor of Auburn University appears to suggest otherwise if reports are to be believed.
His paper, entitled “Preliminary Estimates of the Impacts of U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on Cattle Trade,” argues that labels with origin information have “not had a significant negative effect” on imported cattle, whether they were for immediate slaughter or “feeding” for later.
Basing the study off of the COOL policies originally put into place during 2008, Taylor, who was supported in his work by the National Farmer’s Union, looked at price and ratio of cattle and found that the overall losses weren’t as bad as some could have feared.
“The weight of credible economic and qualitative evidence demonstrates that COOL has had no demonstrable impact on the Canadian or Mexican cattle industries,” Taylor writes. “Moreover, the analysis did not find that COOL resulted in substantial costs to beef packers, which would have been seen in lower reported prices.”
This report coincides with the dismissal of a 2013 lawsuit that challenged the USDA on the COOL labeling restrictions, although the World Trade Organization could address the issues affecting the case in the future, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Industrial labeling systems can handle professional-level output, allowing businesses to have complete control over how their labels are printed and displayed. Quality printers also help to create labels that fit a package completely, making it easier for shoppers to read important information and for stores to categorize these items correctly.
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