In November 2013, new country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations promulgated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) took effect. In part, retailers of muscle cuts of meat and other goods covered by the regulations must identify the specific countr(ies) where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. The COOL regulations not only require more specificity about the role of different countries in bringing cuts of meat to U.S. consumers’ tables, but they also disallow broader mixed-origin labeling, such as “Product of U.S. and Mexico.”
Citing international trade concerns, as well as the costs and burdens of implementation, the U.S. meat industry and other countries have challenged the COOL regulations. In September 2013, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia denied a preliminary injunction to block implementation of the regulations, and an appeal has been briefed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. See American Meat Institute v. United States Department of Agriculture, No. 1:13-cv-01033 (D.D.C. 2013).
