"Distributed by" should not be allowed without country of origin.

In light of today's announcement of the counterfeit Colgate toothpaste recall, I feel compelled to state strongly that we should not have to guess product origin. The phrase "distributed by XXX Company" (with no country name) appears on many products that I have seen, particularly in the grocery stores. I am sure that many of these products are made and packaged in countries whose products I would avoid. Seems to me that the "distributed by" phrase distorts the point of origin. Would you ever think to read a toothpaste box for origin?


I also think there should be some way for us to determine what country sends us certain fresh vegetables and meats. I think I would pass on products grown in areas where cleanliness is of no issue

We are sitting ducks!

And most of the time it doesn't matter. One week they might get their stuff from a plant in Guatemala, next week it comes from Malaysia, next week it comes from Peru or Vietnam. The distributor contracts with several third-party companies to produce their product, which in turn may each have several plants around the world. They have a similar arrangement to produce the packaging, and deliver it to the appropriate manufacturer.

The whole system is set up so that the corporatocracy doesn't have to tell you where the stuff comes from. They spend billions lobbying Congress to ensure they keep it that way.

many products, however, this practice has been delayed until 9/30/08. It does not include processed food items.

On May 13, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, more commonly known as the 2002 Farm Bill. One of its many initiatives requires country of origin labeling for beef, lamb, pork, fish, perishable agricultural commodities and peanuts. On January 27, 2004, President Bush signed Public Law 108-199 which delays the implementation of mandatory COOL for all covered commodities except wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish until September 30, 2006. On November 10, 2005, President Bush signed Public Law 109-97, which delays the implementation for all covered commodities except wild and farm-raised and shellfish until September 30, 2008. As described in the legislation, program implementation is the responsibility of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/cool/