Have you checked your COOL lately? Or even know what this is? COOL stands for Country of Origin Labeling, and it is required to be on produce and several meat products. Instead it seems consumers only see what they want. The price of fruit not its origins, are the main thing people pay attention to when buying food. In fact it seems at many big chain grocery stores it is hard to find the COOL in the produce section.
I am a bit biased about this subject because I worked at a smaller grocery store a couple of weeks ago. I also happened to work in the produce section for a while. The COOL there was a huge deal. You had to make sure and change it every time you got in new product. It was also easily seen by customers since it was posted right next to the price.
Whenever I happen to make a run to larger grocery stores I often have to really search to find the COOL. It is important to me since I prefer local or USA grown produce over produce grown elsewhere. While that isn’t always feasible, sometimes it is (especially in the summer when farmer’s markets are common). It is also important for me to just know where my food is coming from. It may not seem like a big deal, but to me it is. I feel it is these small details that make a difference for being able to make good decisions about food (or having the option to make the decision).
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