• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

COOL auditors hit retailers

PORKER

Well-known member
Suppliers also may be subject to audits in the fall
Inspectors in 14 states will begin auditing select retail outlets this month in an effort to enforce country-of-origin labeling, the law requiring retailers to label seafood as to its country of origin and whether it’s wild or farmed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture began enforcing COOL on April 4, 2005, six months after the rules governing the law were published (COOL was included in the 2002 Farm Bill). But the agency instituted a six-month grace period for industry education and outreach.

Only the USDA can enforce COOL, but the agency is working with state agriculture agencies to administer the law. State inspectors are allowed to obtain the records retailers are required to keep under COOL, but only the USDA can seize product.

“The USDA is stepping up efforts to make sure the enforcement phase [of COOL] is in full swing,” says Stacey Viera, director of communications and coalitions for the National Fisheries Institute, which warned its members of the audits July 17.

NFI also learned USDA will provide state inspectors with a list of retail outlets to audit. The list was not available at press time.

Retailers have 30 days to comply if USDA cites them for a violation in an audit. Retailers who willfully disregard COOL are subject to civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation.

State inspectors are also likely to begin auditing select seafood suppliers in the fall, says NFI. Suppliers have 30 days to comply and are subject to civil penalties, whether the violation was deliberate or unintentional.
 
Top