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 1999-05-26 monographic deposited born digital 14 p. GA 1.13:T-RCED-99-200 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200 P0b002ee1803835cd f:rc99200t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200 T-RCED-99-200 Labeling law Importing Safety standards Consumer protection International trade restriction Health hazards Agricultural products Food and drug law Contaminated foods North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Florida Texas Maine Other Written Product RCED Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the labeling requirements for fresh produce, focusing on: (1) the potential costs associated with the compliance and enforcement of a mandatory country-of-origin labeling 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 labeling.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) the magnitude of compliance and enforcement costs for mandatory country-of-origin labeling for fresh produce at the retail level would depend on several factors, including the extent to which labeling practices would have to be changed; (2) in addition, enforcement would be difficult; (3) labeling 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 between the outbreak of an illness and the identification of the cause, labeling would be of limited value in responding to produce-related outbreaks of illnesses; (5) surveys indicate that most people favor country-of-origin labeling; and (6) 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-99-200/html/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200.pdf GAO/T-RCED-99-200 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-200 Other Written Product GAO/T-RCED-99-200; Fresh Produce: Potential Implications of Country-of-Origin; Labeling law Importing Safety standards Consumer protection International trade restriction Health hazards Agricultural products Food and drug law Contaminated foods North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA Florida Texas Maine Public Law 105-277 Conf. Rept. 105-825