COOL Legislation Recently Introduced in Kansas House of Reps

Representative Adam Lusker of the Kansas House of Representatives requested for introduction to the House, HB 2742 on Friday, February 9, 2018. The bill relating to labeling requirements for muscle cuts of beef, muscle cuts of pork, ground beef or ground pork meat outlines proposed law to ensure consumers are provided with country of origin information when purchasing the commodities at the point of sale in a retail establishment.

Kansas Cattlemen’s Association (KCA) applauds Representative Lusker for taking action to provide consumers with country of origin information at the retail purchase, and for recognizing the importance for a truthful label. KCA has long supported mandatory country of origin labeling on all imported and mixed origin cattle and beef. In addition, KCA supports legislation and regulation which promotes “USA Beef” as born, raised, and harvested in the USA.

As proposed, HB 2742 states a retailer of a covered commodity (beef and pork) shall inform consumers in this state of the country of origin of the covered commodity at the final point of sale of the covered commodity to consumers. The covered commodities are defined as muscle cuts of beef and pork and ground beef and pork.

The bill goes on to define the available labels as: not exclusively born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States; born, raised, or slaughtered in the United States; and not imported into the United States for immediate slaughter. The bill would require that a commodity derived from an animal not born, raised, or slaughtered in the United States shall be designated as the country of its true origin. Ground products will list all of the countries of origin.

KCA will continue to support Country of Origin Labeling legislation and regulation. KCA has been working with legislators and other industry organizations to implement state-side legislation which enhances consumer’s right to transparency in labeling and other identifiers at the retail point of sale.