Tag: Canada
-
Mechanically Tenderized Beef Labeling Takes Effect in Canada
Health Canada has announced the implementation of new rules requiring mechanically tenderized beef (MTB) products to be labeled as such. Effective August 21, 2014, the mandatory labeling requirements—which previously applied only to federally registered producers of MTB cuts—now cover “all industry sectors selling uncooked MTB to other industry members or consumers,” including retailers, butcher shops,…
-
WTO Reportedly Decides Against U.S. in COOL Dispute
According to the Wall Street Journal, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has decided for Canada and Mexico and against the United States in a battle over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) of meat products. The decision has reportedly been disclosed to the three governments and is expected to be made public in late September or early October,…
-
The Globe and Mail Criticizes Society’s Fear of Sugar
National Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail has traced the history of sugar from its roots as a luxury to its current incarnation as a “forbidden fruit, the momentary pleasure infused with a lifetime of guilt.” Author John Allemang argues that the human taste for sweetness is natural and that “when we denounce sugar, we…
-
Members of Congress Send Letter to USDA on COOL Regulations
In a letter signed by 110 members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ariz.) have urged Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman to rescind the country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements imposed on imports from Canada and Mexico if the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules against the…
-
CFIA Adopts Monetary Penalties for Meat Safety Violations
The Canada Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced new administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) for businesses that fail to meet the requirements laid out in the Meat Inspection Act (MIA) and Meat Inspection Regulations, 1990 (MIR). According to a July 16, 2014, press release, the agency is amending the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations…
-
Calif. Foie Gras Ban Headed to SCOTUS Conference
Briefing has been completed before the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on a petition seeking review of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling upholding California’s prohibition on the sale of food produced by force feeding birds to enlarge the liver beyond normal size. Association des Éleveur de Canards des d’Oies du Québec v. Harris, No. 13-1313…
-
Food Industry Presses Politicians to Support Meat-Label Repeal
Several major food companies have sent a letter to four U.S. senators and representatives urging Congress to direct Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to suspend revised country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules on muscle cuts of meat because they discriminate against Canada and Mexico. The letter argues that if the WTO determines that the rule violates U.S.…
-
Bipartisan Coalition Contests EU Restrictions on Dairy Product Names
U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) have written a March 11, 2014, letter to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), urging the agencies to reject the European Union’s (EU’s) request that product names such as feta, parmesan and muenster be reserved as “geographical indicators.” As part of…