Meat labeling?

[Hilander]

You've probably seen, but may not have noticed, labels on the meat at your grocery store that say something like "Born, Raised, & Harvested in the U.S.A." or "Born and Raised in Canada, Slaughtered in the U.S."

Should Labels Say Meat Was Made In USA? Ranchers, Meatpackers Disagree Over Country-Of-Origin Labels : The Salt : NPR

Personally I would like to know where my meat was raised and I think it should be labeled with country of origin. I don't see why the WTO should have a say in this since American consumers are the ones buying this meat. Why are they afraid for us to have this basic information? While most of us might not have a problem with meat raised in some countries we might with others.

I don't like buying fish raised in some countries because it is well known they are raised in polluted water and antibiotics thrown to them to keep them alive.

In China, Farming Fish in Toxic Waters - New York Times

Thoughts?

 

[Knight_of_Albion]

Personally, I'm a vegan, so I don't eat any meat. Though my opinion on this issue is that it ought to be clearly labelled where the meat is from, how it was raised and that it was humanely slaughtered.
A lot of meat, certainly here in Europe, has been slaughtered to the halal method (no pre-stunning) but they aren't obligated to say so. I think they should be.
Though I don't believe halal should be allowed anyway. There are stunning laws for a reason ...

 

[Dr4gon]

Consumers should always have the right to know where stuff comes from and especially food. In Oklahoma we know if we buy beef from the Braums farms then its from free range cattle. Thats because pride. Those people know they produce really good beef.

If other farmers and ranchers wanna compete then they need to get a decent rep for their product. Not just toss it into a meat pool.
As for me I wont buy any food unless I know where its from.

 

[Hilander]

Thanks Knight I will avoid any halal meat. While I eat meat I don't want the animal put through as little suffering as possible and not tortured to death. This is something that should be put on the label too.

Grass fed free range cattle is the best. Beef is only high in cholesterol because of feeding them grain.

 

[dDave]

Other than to hide something, why wouldn't the place of origin be clearly labeled?

There are certain countries that do not treat their animals well. They could be abusing the animals, the animals could carry disease, etc. There are just a lot of reasons why this would be a good thing to know.

 

[Clare]

I agree that it just makes sense to label meat produce properly (or anything else for that matter). But if it doesn't say where it's from people can probably guess why anyway.

 

[Hilander]

They probably want to blend the cheap meat that maybe comes from a country that has animals that aren't fed well or raised in unsanitary conditions in with the good stuff or sell the imported stuff for the same price as domestic.

 

[Major]

Other than to hide something, why wouldn't the place of origin be clearly labeled?

There are certain countries that do not treat their animals well. They could be abusing the animals, the animals could carry disease, etc. There are just a lot of reasons why this would be a good thing to know.

I agree with this, but it surprises me that you voted against GMO food labeling when it is very similar in principle to this.

 

[dDave]

I agree with this, but it surprises me that you voted against GMO food labeling when it is very similar in principle to this.

I think that GMO food labeling is something that would not be done well at the state level. Food would have had to be specially packaged for Colorado and prices would have gone up. I agree with the idea of it, I do not think it was the right way to implement it.

I also feel that food that isn't genetically modified is already properly labeled as "organic". Any company that makes organic food is always going to advertise that on the packaging.

 

[Major]

It's estimated that prices would have gone up by $2.30 per person per year, if that. Food labels are changed all the time and it hardly costs a thing.