Under the Tariff Act of 1930 and subsequent amendments, consumer-ready packaged foods must indicate whether the foods come from the United States, from another country, or from mixed origins. Until the last several years, random-weight products, such as loose produce, store-cut and packaged meats, and seafood from a store’s fish counter, were not required to have country-of-origin labels. Proponents of these labels assert that consumers view the U.S. label as an indication of safety, quality, or as a means of supporting U.S. producers.
In April 2005, fish and shellfish became the first commodities subject to mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL). In March 2009, rules became final requiring COOL for red meat, chicken and goat meat, fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, and ginger. ERS researchers explored whether U.S. consumers adjusted their purchases of shrimp in response to the 2005 COOL requirements for seafood. Findings show that consumers were not responsive to the new country-of-origin labels.
Shrimp was chosen for the study for a variety of reasons. Fish and shellfish were the first commodities to fall under COOL requirements. Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States, accounting for a quarter of all seafood consumed. Seafood from Southeast Asia, particularly shrimp, has a history of raising food safety concerns, so consumers may be looking for countryof- origin information. The different ways that shrimp is sold to consumers—random-weight shrimp purchased from a fish counter versus consumer-ready packaged shrimp—allow researchers to observe if there are shifts in purchases in response to COOL. Consumer-ready packages of shrimp have carried country-oforigin labels for many years. This information was not required for random-weight shrimp until early 2005.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: USDA's Amber Waves