USDA to propose new COOL laws

COOL laws established under the Bush administration are being shelved by the Obama USDA
COOL laws established under the Bush administration are being shelved by the Obama USDA
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is throwing out Bush era regulations on the labeling of food, saying it would like to see labels that more clearly document where food or meat came from.

New proposals for changes to the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law are expected to be laid out to the meat industry in a letter today.

Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack discussed the changes with members of consumer groups yesterday in a conference call which left many pleased with the proposals.

"The bottom line is we think people have a right to know and they can act on it based on their own opinions and preferences," Patty Lovera of the consumer group Food and Water Watch told the Associated Press.

Those involved in yesterday's call say Vilsack is calling for more foods to be included under the labeling proposal including some previously exempt foods like roasted peanuts and cured bacon, according to the AP.

One of the first acts of the newly sworn in Obama administration last month was to block COOL regulations that had been established during the waning days of the Bush presidency.ADNFCR-2034-ID-19033692-ADNFCR