News: GOP Looking to Repeal Food Labeling Law by Thanksgiving

[Bluebear]

The Man Date dismantling of America begins. Eat up, America!


WASHINGTON - Telling consumers where their meat, fruit and vegetables came from seemed such a good idea to U.S. ranchers and farmers in competition with imports that Congress two years ago ordered the food industry to do it. But meatpackers and food processors fought the law from the start, and newly emboldened Republicans now plan to repeal it before Thanksgiving.


As part of the 2002 farm bill, country-of-origin labeling was supposed to have gone into effect this fall. Congress last year postponed it until 2006. Now, House Republicans are trying to wipe it off the books as part of a spending bill they plan to finish this month.

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said he expected the Senate to agree to repealing the measure, whose main champion two years ago was Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

"I can't find any real opposition to doing exactly what we want to do here," Blunt said.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041118/ap_on_go_co/fit_food_labeling_6

[Danocrat]

1. I'm glad I don't have a peanut allergy/nt

[Bluebear]

2. I am sure they have a tombstone figure for that

How many people will die from peanut allergies versus how much the program costs. Just like the FAA. Oh well, it's the GOP way and now they have a "Man Date"!

[jmowreader]

3. They're not repealing the old labeling standards. This is new.

The Country Of Origin Labeling law was requested by the farmers and ranchers, so people would be able to see that their food contained 100% US Beef or 100% US Apples or whatever.

Packing plants didn't want this--for several reasons.

First, they'd have to redesign all of their packaging. And get the new packaging approved by the government when necessary.

Then they'd lose freedom to play the commodities markets--if you make an apple product, you might get apples from the US, Israel, Argentina or Poland. But if you make the same product under COOL, you'd have to change your packaging every time you changed your source for apples. And God help you if you send out Polish apples in an "Apples from USA" bag.

If there are peanuts in a food item, you'll still know there are peanuts in it. You just won't know they're US peanuts.

[Bluebear]

4. How will we know if items come from Mad Cow regions?

Just askin'.

[prairierose]

5. You won't

but just remember this is for the good of the large agribusiness corps that give * so much money. So what if we won't be able to feed ourselves? :shrug: