New Food Labeling Laws
From
Cosa Bolle in Pentola:
Wines have
long been associated with specific territories thanks to Appellations, and
following the outbreak of Mad Cow Disease the EEU decreed that all meat sold in
markets and stores come with a label saying where the animal was born, where it
lived, and where it was butchered. Putting all this information on the label
may seem like more work for the butcher, but the provision makes it much easier
to trace problems of one sort or another back to their origins, and also to
expose fraud, which is an ever-present danger. What's good for the cow is good
for the spud, as it were, and now the Government has decreed that all produce
shall be identified as to kind and variety (e.g. Granny Smith Apple) and point
of origin; this is again a good idea because it will make it easier for
consumers to spot hothouse items and produce that's shipped in from afar -- the
former is often less flavorful than what's in season, while the latter is often
picked green to avoid spoilage en route. Now, as an activist pointed out in
last week's paper, they need to amend milk labels too: Italy imports 1.6
billion liters (400 million gallons) of milk from other European countries, and
if this milk goes through Italian dairy plants it comes out labeled Italian.
One can make the argument that it need only be traced back to where it was
prepared, but knowing where it's from is important too.
A presto,
Kyle
Phillips
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