United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-04-28 monographic deposited born digital 14 p. GA 1.13:T-RCED-99-172 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172 P0b002ee18039af37 f:rc99172t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172 T-RCED-99-172 Labeling law Food and drug law Importing Safety standards Consumer protection Agricultural products Health hazards Cost effectiveness analysis International trade restriction Contaminated foods North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Florida Maine Texas Testimony RCED Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the labelling requirements for fresh produce, focusing on: (1) the potential costs associated with the compliance and enforcement of a mandatory country-of-origin labelling requirement at the retail level for fresh produce; (2) the potential trade issues associated with such a requirement; (3) the potential impact of such a requirement on the ability of the federal government and the public to respond to outbreaks of illness caused by contaminated fresh produce; and (4) consumers' views of country-of-origin labelling. GAO noted that: (1) the magnitude of compliance and enforcement costs for mandatory country-of-origin labelling for fresh produce at the retail level would depend on several factors, including the extent to which labelling practices would have to be changed; (2) in addition, enforcement would be difficult; (3) labelling could be viewed by other countries as a trade barrier if, for example, they are concerned that additional costs may be incurred by their exporters; (4) because of the time lag time between the outbreak of an illness and the identification of the cause, labelling would be of limited value in responding to produce-related outbreaks of illnesses; and (5) surveys indicate that most people favor country-of-origin labelling; however, they rate information on freshness, nutrition, handling and storage, and preparation tips as more important. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172/html/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172.pdf GAO/T-RCED-99-172 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-172 Testimony GAO/T-RCED-99-172; Fresh Produce: Potential Consequences of Country-of-Origin; Labeling law Food and drug law Importing Safety standards Consumer protection Agricultural products Health hazards Cost effectiveness analysis International trade restriction Contaminated foods North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Florida Maine Texas Public Law 105-277 Conf. Rept. 105-825