Industry News - AM

France launches mandatory labeling pilot program


By Michael Fielding on 1/11/2017

A two-year mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program was launched in France on Jan. 1. The pilot program was approved in August, with the adoption of Decree No 2016-1137 for processed foods containing meat and dairy.

Under the program, processed meat labels must indicate the countries of birth, breeding and slaughter of the animals; dairy labels must indicate the countries where the milking was performed and where the milk was processed. The names of the origin countries may be replaced with the term “Origin: EU” if the animals were born, raised and slaughtered in one or more EU countries or “Origin: Outside the EU” if the animals were born, raised and slaughtered in one or more non-EU countries.

According to a 2012 European Commission study, nine out of 10 consumers said it’s important that the origin of meat used in processed food is labeled.

One year ago, the U.S. Congress voted to repeal the controversial COOL requirement that had plagued the meat industry for the past seven years. The repeal headed off more than $1 billion in retaliatory measures threatened by Canada and Mexico that had been approved by the World Trade Organization.


 
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