Do You Read Food Labels?

I think it’s good to know where my food comes from. How about you?

Thanks to the new Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law, you can now see where many foods were grown or raised before you buy. This labeling comes in handy if, for example, you want to support local farmers or avoid products that come from a particular region or country.

Here are some of the foods that must now be labeled:

• Meat and fish sold in supermarkets, but not in fish or meat markets (ham and bacon, because they are processed, are exempt)
• Raw peanuts, almonds, pecans, and macadamia nuts
• Fruits and vegetables (mixed fruit salad and mixed frozen vegetables, also considered to be processed, are exempt)
• Bagged and unbagged lettuce, but not in grocery store salad bars.

For more information on COOL, go to the United States Department of Agriculture site here at ams.usda.gov/cool.

(Source: Consumer Reports)