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Country of Origin Labeling

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Food labeling is one key area highlighted in the report for consumers. It states labeling is improving, but with 74 per cent of consumers saying they want to see origin of country clearly marked in the pack, the report also acknowledges more needs to be done, especially for processed meat.
 
What do you guys make of this??

Integrated Management Information, Inc. (IMI Global) (OTCBB: INMG), a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agricultural/livestock industry, today announced it has signed an agreement to become the exclusive worldwide marketer of the trademarked "Born & Raised in the USA®" label. The agreement puts IMI Global in a strong position to lead the industry move toward mandatory labeling of all meat products to identify the country of origin. There are 87 billion pounds of meat produced in the United States annually.

Under terms of the 2002 Farm Bill, retailers nationwide must display on their packaging a label identifying the country of origin (COOL) for meat products, including beef, pork, lamb and fish, starting in the fall of 2008. The Born & Raised in the USA® label, currently being used on a voluntary basis and appearing on products in selected retail stores, provides retailers, processors and producers a streamlined and proven third-party verification program as well as a means of supporting and promoting domestic meat products.

"With the deadline for domestic retailers to begin displaying country of origin labeling fast approaching, this agreement is both timely and potentially one of the most important partnerships IMI Global has been a part of," said John Saunders, president and CEO of IMI Global. "We believe the Born & Raised in the USA® label, backed by IMI's third-party verification systems, will find broad acceptance among domestic packers and retailers who are subject to this mandate beginning later this year. The brand, which includes a prominently displayed American flag, is a compelling visual that we believe will appeal to packers and retailers while giving consumers a simple and recognizable label to identify a product exclusively born, raised and processed in the USA. IMI Global is a national standard setter in the field of third-party verification services and we have been providing food verification systems since 1995 to producers through to retailers and have developed over 60% of all USDA PVP and QSA programs in the United States. As a result, we are ideally positioned to promote this label, as well as provide COOL compliance for our customers. Our goal is to make Born & Raised in the USA® the industry standard."

Saunders said the Born & Raised in the USA® label program was developed more than seven years ago by Carolyn Carey, founder and president of Born & Raised in the USA®, who foresaw the industry's direction and remained committed for several years before country of origin labeling became a reality.

Carey added that IMI Global was an obvious choice as exclusive marketing partner. "IMI Global is a highly respected verification organization with extensive experience, a blue chip customer base and a strong track record working with the USDA," she said. "We're excited about the opportunity to roll out Born & Raised in the USA® to packers and retailers nationwide and provide them an easily workable COOL solution at no additional cost to the cow-calf producer."

A longtime customer for Born & Raised in the USA® is Western Grasslands, Inc., dba Panorama Meats, Inc. www.PanoramaMeats.com, producers of Panorama Natural Grass-Fed Beef(TM) and Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Beef(TM). Based in Vina, California, Panorama markets natural and organic grass-fed beef to food service operators as well as conventional and natural food retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes throughout the United States.

About IMI Global

Founded in 1995, IMI Global is a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agriculture industry. Go to www.IMIGlobal.com for additional information. IMI has worked with some of the largest agricultural organizations in the United States, providing web-based applications for verification and identification as well as a range of consulting services tailored to meet each customer's needs. IMI operations include www.CattleNetwork.com, an online service offering market information and industry news to the cattle industry, and www.CattleStore.com, an online source for livestock supplies, such as animal identification, medical equipment and veterinarian supplies. Additional IMI web sites include www.USVerified.com, www.AgNetwork.com and www.PetSupplyVerified.com.
 
USDA IDs New Benefits Of Animal ID System

4/3/2008 6:26:00 AM


USDA IDs New Benefits Of Animal ID System



The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ag Marketing Service (AMS) on Wednesday went a step further to encourage the widespread use of its National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The agency rolled out a draft business plan that shows how the NAIS will be integrated with AMSA's other marketing programs, such as the USDA Process Verified, the Quality Systems Assessment and the Non-Hormone Treated Cattle Programs.

Companies enrolled in those programs can meet their inherent animal identification requirements by using NAIS. In addition, using NAIS along with enrollment in the AMS marketing programs ensures that the cattle are eligible for the AMS Export Verification Program for Japan, a designation that could mean price premiums for U.S. cattle producers.

Finally, NAIS would make it easier to properly label product for sale at U.S. grocery stores and meet the objectives of the Country of Origin Labeling program. And contingent on the publication of a Final Rule for COOL, AMS and USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will work to develop a COOL "safe harbor" for NAIS participants.


By Lisa M. Keefe on Thursday, April 03, 2008 For Meatingplace.com.
 
Industry 2008/04/21 16:17 KST



(LEAD) Seoul to clamp down on false labelling of beef

SEOUL, April 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will take steps against the labeling of beef with a false country of origin and provide cash support to enhance production of local high-quality meat, the government said Monday.

In the move announced after Seoul agreed to re-open its market fully to U.S. beef last week, the government said it will increase the number of enforcement monitors from 400 to 1,000 and conduct detailed monitoring of all meat stores and restaurants with floor space of 300 square meters. It added that eateries with floor space of over 100 square meters are to be checked starting in June.

Seoul said Friday that it agreed to new import sanitation rules that give unfettered access to most cuts of U.S. beef, including bone-in beef and byproducts, from around mid-May. This sparked concerns over public health and criticism from farmers who cannot compete effectively with cheap meat from the United States.

"At present, regional governments and the Korea Food and Drug Administration only check for food safety and not country of origin, but this will change under the new rules," said Vice Agriculture Minister Park Deok-bae. He said the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service will be exclusively tasked with checking labeling violations and taking administrative actions.

"If a restaurant intentionally hides the place of origin, owners could face fines of up to 30 million won, jail time of less than three years and suspension of business for up to a month," he said. For retailers, the fine will be raised to under 100 million won, while offenses could result in a maximum prison term of seven years.

It also said that the state plans to give cash incentives of 100,000-200,000 won (US$100-$201) to farmers for the production of superior hanwoo meat mainly through castration of male cows.

Castration affects meat quality, but requires at least six more months of feeding.

Seoul also plans to speed up a nationwide tracking system for all cattle so that after July 2009 no locally raised beef can be butchered without proper identification. Taxes on butchering of cattle at the 106 livestock processing centers will be scrapped in the near future to further reduce costs for farmers.

"The 470 billion won worth of taxes collected by regional authorities through the butchering tax will be compensated by more allotments given out by the central government," the official said.

The policymaker also said that state compensation for the killing of cattle infected with the brucella virus will be increased from the current 60 percent of the animal's price to 80 percent.

In addition, Seoul is to help livestock growers find new export markets.

The ministry said talks have been held with Japan so exports of fresh pork from Jeju Island can resume from December, while exports from the rest of South Korea may take place in 2009 if there are no animal related outbreaks.

Supporting pork exports is important because U.S. beef may only cost marginally more than locally grown pork and cause South Korean consumers to turn to beef.

It said Seoul will set aside 1.5 trillion won in the next 10 years to upgrade cattle farms and production facilities, as well as take steps in the winter to grow barley that can be given to cattle instead of imported feed.

Regarding the decision to resume U.S. beef imports, Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun said no political considerations were involved in the negotiations that resulted in Seoul agreeing to terms set by Washington and the World Organization for Animal Health.

"Issues like the free trade agreement played no role in negotiations," the official told reporters.

He claimed that by allowing U.S. beef into the country and enforcing tougher labelling regulations, Seoul is trying to set a new paradigm to enhance consumer choice and induce farmers to raise more quality livestock.

The official then said concerns of mad cow disease were exaggerated to some extent and that new import rules would be adequate to ensure public health.

[email protected]
 
As a footnote to this thread, the British Government is currently investigating and has fallen underfire from the media following a huge investigative report from a number of UK Newspapers wherein reporters have found that labels indicating 100% Beef Products such as sausages, hamburgers, other product labelled as 100% beef are in fact, comprising of beef, chicken, pork and pork fat, offal, sinue as well as other parts of various animals that comprise of such things as all of the above and more.

The British Government, through its agency at MAFF has issued reports in the press last week, while I was there, that British consumers are being lied too constantly by the very corporations that have been entrusted to provide them with accurate descriptions of the very food they are purchasing to eat. Of course, the Government is also the agency that has been mandated to ensure that this proctice of labelling is carried out accurately and without faults of any kind.

I guess that my point here is that when we purchase that which is described as being 100% pure anything - who can say it is for sure? The UK cases are testament to this point of view and should act as an alert to all who think that the labels are in fact telling the truth.

THe other concern is that what is being added to the product. If it is offal or other animal products that have not yet been part of the BSE listed food bans, then we have a severely serious problem. We being those folks in the UK and elsewhere where tis outrageous disregard for honesty of product labelling is being done.
 
A huge investigative report from a number of UK Newspapers wherein reporters have found that labels indicating 100% Beef Products such as sausages, hamburgers, other product labelled as 100% beef are in fact, comprising of beef, chicken, pork and pork fat, offal, sinue as well as other parts of various animals that comprise of such things as all of the above and more.

Be Careful of What You, your pets and livestock Eats. It could shorten the life span by 50%. The idea is to limit exposure to risk by isolating problems. The more accurate the traceability, the less the exposure. A lot of taxpayer money is being poured into improving the traceability standards of modern food-exporting economies.
 
Seoul to crackdown on beef origin mislabeling


The South Korean government and farmers groups joined hands Monday to crack down on country-of-origin mislabeling of beef sold in stores and served in restaurants.



The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said 1,000 enforcement officials and additional volunteer monitors have been appointed to check for violations in restaurants and meat stores throughout the country.


Disguising imported meat as local produce translates into greater profit and sales as local consumers prefer the more highly priced South Korean meat. Some restaurants and butcher stores simply fail to tell consumers that the meat they are using is from abroad.


Under existing rules if a restaurant intentionally misstates the place of origin, owners could face fines of up to 30 million won, jail time of up to three years and suspension of business for up to a month. For retailers, the fine will be raised to under 100 million won, while offenses could result in a maximum prison term of seven years. The crackdown comes amid promises by Seoul to enhance the labeling of all meat sold in stores and served in restaurants last week, after it agreed to open its market to most U.S. beef cuts including bone-in beef and various by-products.


The decision reached on April 18 is expected to permit U.S. beef shipments to arrive around in mid May.


Seoul allowed U.S. beef to be imported in April 2007, but halted all quarantine inspections in early October after banned backbones were discovered in some packages. It first halted imports in late 2003 after a mad cow case was reported in the country.


South Korean farmers have been known to stage violent protests in the past against the government's decision to open the local market to cheap imports.


SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap)
 

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