Thanks to an MNB user, who drew our attention to a piece in The Packer noting that Wal-Mart plans to voluntarily comply with Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) labeling regulations for fruits and vegetables even before the federal government mandates compliance in September 2006.
The federal government recently delayed implementation of COOL regulations from September 2004 for two years.
Wal-Mart tells The Packer that it will have a traceability protocol in place by the end of this year, which will it allow the company to know where its products come from. The next step will be to develop a labeling program.
Bruce Peterson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president and general merchandise manager of perishables, told The Packer, “A lot of people think that country-of-origin labeling is a dead issue for two years, and it’s not." He also said, “I feel it’s always better if the industry can come up with a solution rather than let our legislative bodies decide for us."
The federal government recently delayed implementation of COOL regulations from September 2004 for two years.
Wal-Mart tells The Packer that it will have a traceability protocol in place by the end of this year, which will it allow the company to know where its products come from. The next step will be to develop a labeling program.
Bruce Peterson, Wal-Mart's senior vice president and general merchandise manager of perishables, told The Packer, “A lot of people think that country-of-origin labeling is a dead issue for two years, and it’s not." He also said, “I feel it’s always better if the industry can come up with a solution rather than let our legislative bodies decide for us."
- KC's View:
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Our feelings about this are pretty much in synch with the MNB user who wrote us, "I'm most definitely not a Wal-Mart fan, but we have to give them some applause for doing the right thing here... Although the cynic in me believes it isn't because it's 'the right thing to do,' but rather because it is smart marketing/branding..."
Nothing wrong with doing the right thing, even when it is a smart move.
And there's nothing wrong with making a smart move, even when it is the right thing to do.
