Title: A resolution reaffirming a strong commitment to United States producers and commodities made in the United States.
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
This resolution expresses that the Senate urges the President to require the U.S. Trade Representative to enter into the trade negotiations necessary to implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, in order to allow consumers to make an informed and free choice about where their food comes from.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 575 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 575

    Reaffirming a strong commitment to United States producers and 
                 commodities made in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 13, 2020

  Mr. Tester (for himself, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Daines, Mr. Thune, and Mr. 
 Booker) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                          Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Reaffirming a strong commitment to United States producers and 
                 commodities made in the United States.

Whereas the farmers and ranchers of the United States raise the best beef in the 
        world;
Whereas consumers have a right to knowingly buy products made in the United 
        States;
Whereas farmers, ranchers, workers, and consumers in the United States benefit 
        from transparency regarding the origin of food;
Whereas Congress overwhelmingly supported country-of-origin labeling (also known 
        as ``COOL'') in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public 
        Law 110-246; 122 Stat. 1651) because 87 percent of consumers want to 
        know the country of origin of the meat those consumers purchase;
Whereas, in 2015, Congress repealed the law requiring country-of-origin labeling 
        for beef, reducing the competitive advantage of products born, raised, 
        and slaughtered in the United States;
Whereas there is no standardized definition of the term ``truth in labeling'', 
        disadvantaging producers in the United States;
Whereas Congress supports products made in the United States, and consumers 
        deserve to know where their food comes from;
Whereas the United States has the highest phytosanitary standards in the world, 
        while other countries place less emphasis on food safety;
Whereas foreign commodities, such as beef, are misleadingly labeled ``Product of 
        USA'' if those commodities are processed or packed in the United States;
Whereas technological advancements make it possible to accurately and 
        efficiently identify the origin of beef without costly segregation of 
        imported and domestic commodities, giving producers and consumers the 
        ability to distinguish between beef actually produced in the United 
        States and foreign, imported beef; and
Whereas country-of-origin labeling is good for farmers, ranchers, workers, and 
        packers because it allows those individuals to identify their products 
        as born and raised in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate urges the President to require the United 
States Trade Representative to enter into the trade negotiations 
necessary to implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, 
in order to allow consumers to make an informed and free choice about 
where their food comes from.
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