The Treasury Department concluded, however, that the Mexican growers were innocent of illegal dumping. The U.S. Commerce Department and U.S. Court of Customs concurred, and the issue was dropped. Subsequent actions by California and Florida growers in the mid-1990s provided minimal relief, finding little evidence of unfair competition. No formal studies of the law s impact have been conducted. Retailers in the state report that the law has had no noticeable impact on sales of imported fruits and vegetables.
Recent interest stems primarily from protectionist sentiments and food safety concerns.
In response, many bills have been introduced in Congress to mandate labeling of produce, beef and lamb. Opposed by industry and U.S. trading partners such as Canada and Australia, the bills have not passed. State governments have enacted labeling mandates. Some apply only to produce and others to beef, lamb or specific fruits and vegetables. Once these products have passed import inspection, however, they are treated as domestic products and no longer require such labels if they are further processed.