Are you into COOL?

 

COOL -- Country-of-Origin Labeling -- is a law that went into effect last year. It requires many types of foods to have labels showing where they came from, in an effort to help consumers make knowledgeable choices about what they eat. It was a great idea -- but some foods, like processed seafood, are not required to have labels. This is one thing that is not so cool about COOL.

 

Less than 2% of imported seafood is inspected for cleanliness and chemical or bacterial contamination.  Given that about 80% of the seafood we consume here in the U.S. is imported, this low level of inspections is scary -- especially since the little that is inspected often does not meet minimum health and safety standards. For example, 1 in 14 shrimp shipments that are inspected get rejected.  Some are categorized as "filthy" and others are found to have residues of penicillin and other antibiotics from the industrial conditions under which the shrimp are grown. 

 

The only way for consumers to protect themselves is to know where their seafood is coming from, but loopholes in COOL allow all processed shrimp and seafood to go unlabeled.  That means if a scallop is wrapped in bacon or sprinkled with lemon pepper, its origin does not need to be labeled.

 

We also need to close the loopholes in COOL to help save our coastal and fishing communities.  The flood of unlabeled, industrially-produced shrimp from countries like China and Thailand, with lower safety, health and labor standards, has devastated our domestic shrimping industry, making it more and more difficult for consumers to find clean, safe shrimp and pushing many shrimpers and those in related jobs out of business. 

 

To give consumers the choice to buy domestic -- both for better health and more stable communities -- we need to make sure all our shrimp and seafood is labeled.  Please do your part -- sign the petition and then send it on to a friend. 

We, the undersigned, urge you to amend the Country of Origin Labeling Law (COOL) to include all seafood, wherever it is sold. Allowing exemptions, especially for processed fish and restaurants, prevents consumers from making knowledgeable decisions about much of the seafood we eat. As consumers interested in the cleanliness, healthiness and safety of our food, as well as supporting good labor practices and care for our natural environment, we hope that you will close loopholes in COOL so we can make educated choices about the fish we eat.

Imported seafood makes up approximately 80% of the seafood we in the U.S. eat, with much of these products coming from countries with lax safety, environmental, and labor policies. In 2006, 66% of the seafood refused by the FDA at the border was processed, as defined by the current COOL laws. The most common reasons the FDA refuse seafood at the border is for dangerous levels of antibiotic residues, salmonella and other disease contamination, or for filth. Since less than 2% of seafood is inspected by the FDA, it makes it even more important for consumers to know where seafood is coming from, to be able to protect ourselves. We urge you to close the loopholes in COOL and to protect consumers.
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This petition has a goal of 500 signatures
1-25 of 139 signatures
Number Date Name Location
139 Fri Nov 20 23:33:03 EST 2009 Sue Johnson Anchorage, AK
138 Fri Nov 20 17:56:34 EST 2009 lorraine foster portland, OR
137 Fri Nov 20 17:46:48 EST 2009 Russell Skinner kimberly, WI
136 Fri Nov 20 17:28:15 EST 2009 Todd Hauser Ocean Park, WA
135 Fri Nov 20 16:43:37 EST 2009 Barry Spielvogel New York, NY
134 Thu Nov 19 13:39:37 EST 2009 bob wilson Asbury, NJ
133 Wed Nov 18 18:37:13 EST 2009 T. Rice College Park, MD Please enforce the COOL law. I prefer to purchase local seafood because it is safer and more environmentally sustainable to do so.
132 Tue Nov 17 22:05:15 EST 2009 shelly cobb Santa Barbara, CA
131 Mon Nov 16 21:44:37 EST 2009 Robin Maroney Salem, OR
130 Mon Nov 16 20:41:56 EST 2009 Elisse De Sio Redwood City, CA
129 Mon Nov 16 08:47:24 EST 2009 Anonymous Fort Worth, TX
128 Mon Nov 16 01:34:56 EST 2009 DARLA ANELLI SAN JOSE, CA WE NEED ALSO TO INCREASE USDA INSPECTIONS AND ENFORCE EXISTING LAWS.
127 Sun Nov 15 15:39:13 EST 2009 Benjamin Farnum San Jose, CA We have a right to know where our fish was harvested and processed.
126 Sun Nov 15 12:07:31 EST 2009 Anonymous Acworth, GA Please, help us to keep our healthy better than never. We've the right to know what we eat, if is safe or not and that we have the choice between the market offer!
125 Sun Nov 15 11:35:36 EST 2009 J. Huston Oakland, CA
124 Sun Nov 15 10:45:12 EST 2009 Rachel Sikorski Buffalo, NY
123 Sun Nov 15 09:51:27 EST 2009 marion gura island park, NY
122 Sat Nov 14 18:24:15 EST 2009 Persia Woolley Sebastopol, CA
121 Sat Nov 14 16:08:15 EST 2009 Walt Terrell Scarsdale, NY
120 Sat Nov 14 14:34:43 EST 2009 Blythe Conway san antonio, TX Enforce the COOL law as soon as possible. We want ourselves, our families, and our children to be safe and healthy!!
119 Sat Nov 14 14:13:09 EST 2009 Jane Wentworth Rome, GA Please enforce the COOL Law. We want to know source of the fish products that we are consuming. Thank you.
118 Sat Nov 14 13:49:14 EST 2009 Carol Keltner Coulterville, CA I refuse to buy fish/seafood because I don't know where it comes from. This is unacceptable as I love fish/seafood and it is healthy if not contaminated by farming and/or pollution. Also, almost ...
117 Sat Nov 14 11:40:16 EST 2009 Bridget Shanahan Bisbee, AZ
116 Sat Nov 14 10:53:22 EST 2009 jamie lee austin, TX
115 Sat Nov 14 08:25:27 EST 2009 Howard Hassman Brooklyn, NY
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When you take action on this issue, we'll keep you up to date on this and other ways to protect your health and coastal communities.