[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 7, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1135-S1136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JOHNSON (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mr. Campbell, Mr. enzi, 
        Mr. Baucus, Mr. Cleland, Mr. Daschle, and Mr. Hollings):
  S. 280. A bill to amend the Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946 to 
require retailers of beef, lamb, pork, and perishable agricultural 
commodities to inform consumers, at the final point of sale to 
consumers, of the country of origin of the commodities; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleagues Senator 
Johnson, Senator Campbell, Senator Craig, and Senator Cleland to 
introduce the Consumer Right to Know Act of 2001.
  This bill would require country of origin labeling of perishable 
agricultural commodities and meat products sold in retail 
establishments. I offer this legislation to ensure that Americans know 
the origin of every orange, banana, tomato, cucumber, and green pepper 
on display in the grocery store.
  For two decades, Floridians shopping at their local grocery stores 
have been able to make educated choices about the food products they 
purchase for their families. In 1979, during my first year as governor, 
I proudly signed legislation to make country-of-origin labels mandatory 
for produce sold in Florida. This labeling requirement has proven to be 
neither complicated nor burdensome for Florida's farmers or retailers.
  Country of origin labeling is not new to the American marketplace. 
For decades, ``Made In'' labels have been as visible as price tags on 
clothes, toys, television sets, watches, and many other products. It 
makes little sense that such labels are nowhere to be found in the 
produce or meat sections of grocery stores in the vast majority of 
states. The current lack of identifying information on produce means 
that Americans who wish to heed government health warnings about 
foreign products don't have the information they need to protect 
themselves. Nor can Americans show justifiable concerns about other 
nations' labor, environmental, and agricultural standards by choosing 
other perishables.
  According to nationwide surveys, between 74 and 83 percent of 
consumers favor mandatory country of origin labeling for fresh produce. 
This is a low-cost, common sense method of informing consumers, as 
retailers will simply be asked to provide this information by means of 
a label, stamp, or placard. It is estimated that implementing produce 
labeling would take about two hours per grocery store per week. At the 
current minimum wage, this equates to about $10.30 per store per week. 
This is a remarkable small price to pay to provide American consumers 
with the information they need to make informed produce purchases.
  In addition, a study by the General Accounting Office found that all 
of the 28 countries that account for must of the U.S. produce imports 
and exports have requirements for fruit and vegetable labeling. By 
adopting this legislation, our law will become more consistent with the 
laws of our trading partners.
  Consumers have the right to know basic information about the fruits 
and vegetables that they bring home to their families. Congress can 
take a major step toward achieving this simple goal by adopting this 
amendment, thereby restoring American shoppers' ability to make an 
informed decision.
  Both Senator Johnson and I have worked on this legislation for 
several Congresses. I am very pleased to be introducing one legislative 
package this year which contains both fruit and vegetable and meat 
labeling requirements.

[[Page S1136]]

Both have passed the Senate in the 105th and 106th Congress.
  I urge my colleagues who have supported this concept in the past to 
co-sponsor our legislation. I urge those of you who are new to this 
issue to review this legislation and ask yourselves if American 
consumers deserve this basic level of information about their food 
supply--the country of origin.
  I ask for your support, and I look forward to working with my 
colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee to move this legislation 
expeditiously through the Committee process.
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