A project of the
Organization for Competitive Markets
 
Date: July 18, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact: Steve Cady: 402.792.0041

OCM Says Labeling Will Empower Consumers
To Make Food Safety Choices

Lincoln, NE ~ The Organization For Competitive Markets (OCM), pointing to a new report on the food safety dangers of imported meat released by Public Citizen, says there is increasing danger in Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) delaying the implementation of mandatory country of origin labeling.

Public Citizenís report "http://www.publiccitizen.org/publications/release.cfm?ID=7264" reveals that U.S. trade commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) have resulted in federal food safety officials allowing imported meat onto U.S. grocery store shelves that does not meet domestic food safety standards. The report, titled, "The WTO Comes To Dinner: U.S. Implementation of Trade Rules Bypasses Food Safety Requirements,"also reveals new numbers from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) that demonstrate a steep drop in border inspections after a new system was implemented for checking meat imports in 2002.

"The USDA tells consumers to trust regulators to determine whether food from certain countries is or is not a food safety risk,"said Keith Mudd, OCM vice president. "But consumers should be empowered, through country of origin labeling, to make their own decisions because USDA's preoccupation with more trade results in fictitious claims that all foreign product is 'equivalent'to domestic meat food safety standards."
Under the trade pacts, USDA has declared the meat inspection systems of 43 countries to be 'equivalent'to the U.S. system, even though some of these nations did not meet core requirements under U.S. law. Despite critical discrepancies, the meat imported under this process continues to be sold to consumers.

When the system began in the fourth quarter of 2002, there was a 65 percent drop in the rate of imported meat and poultry being inspected. On average, between October 2001 and September 2002, 2.5 million pounds of meat were rejected per quarter, but in the last quarter of 2002, just 700,000 pounds were rejected. More than a million pounds on uninspected imported meat may have made it onto supermarket shelves in late 2002 – carrying USDA's stamp of approval.

"Until we have meaningful, mandatory country of origin labeling in the U.S. American consumers cannot make the assumption that meat sold in the U.S. has met USDA standards,"said Fred Stokes, OCM President. "Because there are USDA labels on this imported meat, but no indication as to its country of origin, consumers are being misled, indeed, they're being failed by USDA and federal policy makers. It's time for truthful labeling that gives American consumers the most basic right –the right to choose,"commented Stokes.

CCMP is not a membership organization. Funding comes from livestock auction markets and independent feeders on a per-head basis at the point of sale. All contributions are tax deductible under OCM’s non-profit status. For more information, contact Steve Cady at 402.792.0041 or visit the web site at www.competitivemarkets.com. 

The Organization For Competitive Markets is a multidisciplinary, nonprofit group of farmers, ranchers, academics, attorneys, and policy makers dedicated to reclaiming the agricultural marketplace for independent farmers, ranchers and rural communities.