COOL Seafood Labels Take Effect Today, Humane Society Boycotting Canadian Seafood

New regulations take effect today that require supermarkets to label seafood with its country of origin and indicate whether the food has been farm-raised or caught in the wild.

The COOL program, which stands for country-of-origin-label, was passed by the U.S. Congress three years ago, but the Department of Agriculture took until late 2004 to finalize the regulations and their enforcement. Individual supermarkets can be fined thousands of dollars if they are found to be selling improperly labeled seafood.

Some consumer advocates have expressed a desire for the new labels to include more information, including FDA warnings about seafood believed to be dangerous for certain groups of people. Meanwhile, the Humane Society is using the new labels to help target a boycott of Canadian seafood because the group believes the country permits hunting of seals, including baby seals.

Regardless of how the new labels are used, additional consumer information is always welcome, even if it arrives years after the legislation passed.

posted by Consumer Help Web Editorial Team at 9:44 AM |