Call on Congress to Support a COOL Year for Consumers!

Would you like to receive a gift of increased consumer rights from Congress in 2004?  Then demand that your Senators fund COOL, an important piece of consumer legislation that let’s you know where the food on your grocery store shelves originated.

Consumers can quickly determined where their clothes, toys, cars and other retail items are made.  Simply check out the label.  But there are no such requirements for our most important purchases—the foods choices we make to maintain good health. 

The 2002 Farm Bill passed by the Senate included an amendment that supported Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), a fundamental provision for consumers that requires food manufacturers to label where their fruits, vegetables, meats and fish actually come from.  The Farm Bill set September 2004 as the deadline for implementation of this rule.

But conflicting legislation in the House prevented the USDA from spending funds to implement the COOL amendment, even though the Senate passed the Country of Origin Labeling provision with tremendous bipartisan support.  When the final Agricultural Appropriations bill went into committee, negotiations by a handful of legislators excluded this important labeling provision and denied funding for COOL. 

It’s not too late to change the fate of this vital piece of legislation!

The Senate has not yet voted on the final version of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill.  Therefore, it is vital that you urge your Senators to support your basic rights as a consumer to make informed choices about the food you purchase, choices that affect your health and the health of your family!  The quality of food inspection, growing practices, pesticide use, and processing facilities differ greatly from country to country.  As consumers, we must be armed with the necessary information to make the best choices for our health.

TAKE ACTION!
Call your Senators TODAY and demand that they fund COOL!  Or ask them to sponsor new legislation in January that will provide the funding for this vital labeling provision.  Call the Capitol Switchboard today at 202-224-3121 to be connected to your Senators. Then, insist that they support funding for Country of Origin Labeling and give consumers the most important gift of all—the right to make informed decisions!