The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the requests of meat-producer interests to rehear arguments in a case challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules as a violation of First Amendment rights. Am. Meat Inst. v. USDA, No. 13-5281 (D.C. Cir., order entered October 31, 2014). Under the regulations, amended in May 2013, retailers of “muscle cuts” are required to list on product labels the countries of origin and production as to each step of production—born, raised or slaughtered. Additional details about the en banc ruling upholding the regulations appear in Issue 532 of this Update. USDA amended the rules to address an adverse World Trade Organization (WTO) determination that they discriminated against Canadian and Mexican livestock producers. The effort was unsuccessful, as WTO again ruled in favor of Canada and Mexico. Information about that decision appears in Issue 542 of this Update.

 

Issue 544

About The Author

For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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