Two months remain to comment on mandatory country-of-origin labeling, which takes effect Sept. 30.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued an interim final rule July 28. It requires retailers of meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts and ginseng to label the product's country of origin.

The rule was part of the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. The 2008 Farm Bill added chicken, goat, macadamia nuts, pecans and ginseng to the list of products that require labels.

Country-of-origin labeling for fish and shellfish took effect in October 2004.

Only firms licensed as retailers under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930 are subject to the law. There are 4,000 licensees that operate 36,000 retail stores. Butcher shops and restaurants are excluded.

Ingredients in processed foods are excluded from the program. Also, cooked, cured or smoked foods are excluded. Examples include meatloaf, meatballs, breaded veal cutlets and corned beef.

Sue Beitlich, Wisconsin Farmers Union president, said the definition of processed foods is too broad.

"For example, say you had frozen peas and carrots. That would be considered processed because it's mixed together. That would not need to be labeled. We'll definitely be commenting on that definition," she said.

"The positives we've seen is that farmers can self-certify (their product's origin), which is a good thing. They don't need a third-party verifier," Ms. Beitlich said.

Jane Larson, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection spokeswoman, said groups such as sheep producers and ginseng growers approve of the rule to help them differentiate their products from foreign products. Large meat-packers might have difficulty implementing the rule because they buy cattle from several countries, she said.

Brandon Scholz, Wisconsin Grocers Association president and chief executive officer, said the grocery industry is more pleased with the rule than when it was first introduced.

"As it was originally proposed, the onus of the mandate was dropped in the laps of retailers. Obviously that would've been a catastrophic impact on the grocery business. The industry's work with USDA has produced a much better end result," he said.

"There is more required from the producers, so we aren't responsible for determining where the calf came from. We have to have that information from producers," he said.

The rule doesn't apply to commodities produced or packaged before Sept. 30.

The USDA rule says suppliers and retailers could be fined up to $1,000 for each instance if they violate the law.

The USDA's analysts estimate the first-year incremental costs for growers, producers, processors, wholesalers and retailers at $2.5 billion.

The agency put the estimated cost to the U.S. economy in higher food prices and reduced food production in the 10th year after the rule's implementation at $212 million.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association said it's pleased an interim rule is in place.

"Our focus now is on how best to implement COOL in a manner that provides maximum benefit and minimal disruption to our ranchers," NCBA President Andy Groseta said in a news release.

Megan Parker can be reached at (800) 236-4004, ext. 3867 or megan.parker@ecpc.com.