Just when we want to know MORE about what we eat, Congress has repealed the country-of-origin meat labeling law, caving in to pressure from foreign countries and the meat industry. Again, OUR government, puts OUR interests - LAST! May all who voted for the repeal be invited to a BBQ where they serve burgers made of beef tainted with the prions responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy - "mad cow disease", to you. How many other surprises were snuck in behind our backs in the omnibus finance bill?

"Supporters of repeal don’t want the U.S. subjected to the $3.6 billion in potential retaliatory tariffs sought by Canada and Mexico. They also argue that the rule has already burdened the U.S. meat industry.

“The program has not worked, and it is time to put this failed experiment behind us once and for all,” Texas Republican Rep. Michael Conaway said during the floor debate."
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So, apparently, the special interests hold sway over the American consumer, and we allow foreign nations to dictate our consumer policies. Bottom line: Money takes priority over the safety and well-being of Americans. So what else is new?
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"Critics of the repeal said that the WTO overturned a common sense label supported by a majority of Americans. 90% of those surveyed in 2013 favored country-of-origin-labeling for fresh meat sold in stores."

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/meat-labeling-law-repeal-leaves-buyers-dark-about-product-origins-n489771

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2015/06/house-votes-to-repeal-country-of-origin-labeling-for-meat/#.VorcJVIxRCo

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyhuehnergarth/2015/12/21/quashing-consumers-right-to-know-congress-repeals-country-of-origin-labeling-for-beef-and-pork/

Why is U.S. Beef banned in Europe.
Most U.S. beef cattle are implanted with synthetic hormones in feedlots prior to slaughter.

http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/hormones_meat.htm

It's ok, us Europeans don't want your shitty (dangerous pathogens) meat too!

i don't want to eat chinese cow meat. =/

Melamine, anyone?

This is not an issue about "big government", but about your right to know what you're eating. Granted, a lot of people don't care about what they stuff in their mouths so long as it tastes good and fills them up. There are others, though, who would like to know as much as possible about what they consume - for their own health, for peace of mind, etc.

If one knew where the meat they might buy originated from, that could help them determine whether they would buy it, or not. Some countries have better quality and health control of food products than others. Thus, it's legitimate for them to be able to take that information into account before buying such products. This repeal denies them that right in the case of meat. The government caved in to the meat lobby and to foreign meat exporting countries, allowing these entities to dictate American economic policy and disregard what is best for the American consumer.

The bottom line, of course, is economic - dollars count more than the lives and safety of Americans, or their ability to make reasonable decisions that affect their lives.

But what about cutting big government?

I don't think anything precludes American meat producers from labeling products "Raised in the USA" if they so choose.

This legislation just lifts the mandate for forced labeling.

Yes, I understand that. Problem is there are those companies that would prefer the consumer NOT know the origin of their product, and this repeal allows them to achieve this. This also includes processed foods. We send chickens to China for processing, and these processed products are then send back to the US for sale! That's rather a convoluted trek from hatchery to your digestive tract, no? Given China's record of failures in food and other product safety, I, personally, would prefer NOT to eat anything that came from China, even if it were just "processed" there. Baby formula, pet foods, and other food products that have come from China have created health problems and and have even caused deaths in this country in recent years.

An informed consumer is a better consumer. Remember, it's the "bottom line" in business that counts. If companies, in many cases, can pull the wool over your eyes to increase their bottom line, they won't hesitate to do so. This legislation is a bounty for such companies - and might even prove fatal for you! I guess we'll just have to wait and see what problems will arise down the line that are attributable to this legislation, which, in effect, tells the American consumer, "Ignorance is good for you".!

If enough other consumers agree with you - and refuse to eat meat from China or wherever - then that right there would represent a ready demand for "raised and slaughtered in the USA" labels. You would presumably pay more for such a label.

And businesses tend to take advantage of ready demands where they can charge a premium price.

And by the bye, all meat entering the US is subject to the same USDA inspection process. There is no evidence that foreign meat is tainted in any way. Not to mention, there are no mass outbreaks anywhere to speak of. The only one I know about is Chipotle - and that derived from locally sourced foods. So I don't think your concerns are valid.

There are other countries that we import meat from, including Canada. I have no problem with met imported from most of there other countries. China, among others, however, are places that produce foods, not only meat, that I'd prefer to stay away from. With the repeal of this law, there's no way you will know where your meat comes from - and that's problematic. I'd prefer to know, rather than not know. Wouldn't you?

The inspection process of foods coming into the US is is also problematic. How, for example, was baby formula tainted with melamine, allowed to enter the US consumer market? Or tainted pet foods from China, that resulted in animal deaths here. Or flooring imported from China that had high levels of formaldehyde and other problematic chemicals. Even though inspection of consumer products made right here in the US, can be dangerous, with the dangers either overlooked in the inspection process, or passed through deliberately, I'd prefer to take my chances with products made here where there is tighter regulation directed at safety and quality. And when do we encounter food recalls, often after people die as a result of contamination with chemicals or bacteria? When companies, as is often the case, deliberately overlook safety in order to increase their bottom line. If we encounter such products produced here in the US, occasionally, wouldn't you expect the likelihood of such tainted products coming in from overseas be even greater? China, for one, has shown that its tainted products get into our consumer chain, time and time again.

I guess that you simply don't believe in "better safe than sorry". I'm really at a loss to understand your position of saying that lack of knowledge is better than knowing. Maybe you believe that ignorance is bliss, and you'd rather be "blissful" - than healthy or alive. Or could it be that you are a food importer from foreign countries? If not, then you're advocating against your own well being.

So you don't think consumers have right to know the origin of products...any product?

Consumers have a right to buy a product or not buy a product.

Consumers should have a right to be protected against deceptive/fraudulent labeling. So for instance, one cannot lie on a label and say the meat was raised/slaughtered in the USA when if in fact it was not.

Consumers should have a right to not be harmed by products when used as intended. With the grocery store/distributor/producer all on the hook legally if a consumer is harmed.

So if a package doesn't have a label stating its country of origination, don't buy it. That's your right as a consumer. If enough other consumers think likewise, businesses will fall over backwards to cater to your whims. Especially since you likely will pay a premium for such a label. But as such, businesses should not be mandated to label place of origin because there is nothing inherently harmful nor deceptive/fraudulent about not doing so. (It's probably the opposite. Many people seem irrationally distrustful and xenophobic about foreign products.)

This has nothing to do with xenophobia, or even how much you pay for food. It's all about your right to know, and about your health!

Why the hell do you suppose that it's now mandated that food products have a nutritional breakdown on the labels? You can read the information and decide whether the product is for you, or not - but it's your decision based on the information that's made available to you. (How long before government decides to repeal these presently mandated labels, too?)

Even processed foods can contain significant ingredients that are imported from overseas, including meats. I want to know where the meat that's used in a product came from. If someone else doesn't care, that's their decision. But the only way to let those who care about such things, for whatever reason they may have, know, is to include the information on the packaging. Only then can consumers make wise and informed decisions as to what they are putting into their bodies.

You're assuming all food manufacturers will tell their people where they buy the products, but if they don't have to, they probably won't...unless it's Whole Foods or Trader Joes.

xenophobic

When did you become a social justice warrior? I would have thought you'd suggest abolishing the WTO, not strengthening them on the grounds that labeling meat is discrimination against Mexico. Maybe we should all get fat and sick just to make sure we aren't privileged somehow, in the name of fair (un-free) trade.

I don't know if you're talking to me, but that's exactly what I've been advocating here! Consumers should be permitted to know where the products they purchase, food or otherwise, comes from - and this especially important in the case of food. This repeal was a disservice to the American consumer - period!

I don't think anything precludes American meat producers from labeling products "Raised in the USA" if they so choose.

This legislation just lifts the mandate for forced labeling.

http://www.infowars.com/congress-decided-we-dont-deserve-to-know-where-meat-comes-from/

The decision follows a ruling from the World Trade Organization (WTO) that found the labels discriminate against meat raised and slaughtered outside the United States. The WTO permitted Mexico and Canada to impose more than $1 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods in retaliation if the labels were not pulled from packages of beef and pork. The nations are the U.S.’s top agriculture partners.

Is this subject to Presidential veto?

I have to wonder why your congress cares more about foreign markets than it does for other Americans.

Hurray for living in Tokyo!