Today the USDA Ag Marketing Service announced new proposed rules for mandatory country of origin labeling. According to a couple sources:
Under the proposed rule, origin designations for animals slaughtered in the United States would be required to specify the production steps of birth, raising, and slaughter of the animal. In addition, this proposed rule would eliminate the allowance for any commingling of muscle cut covered commodities of different origins. These changes will provide consumers with more specific information about muscle cut covered commodities.
Yes, consumers will have more specific information but isn't this going to be very costly? It is certainly more costly than current mandatory labeling rules. If consumers want this information and are willing to pay for it, why isn't there some enterprising meat packer already providing it?
Don't get me wrong, consumers do value origin information. That's not the issue. The question is what it costs to provide it and whether there are any market failures that would prohibit origin labels to organically emerge were they to be sufficiently valued.