This week, the World Trade Organization (WTO) is opening the COOL ruling appeal process to the public in an unprecedented move. Last year, the WTO ruled that the United States' country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law in the 2008 Farm Bill is a barrier to free trade that violates agreements the U.S. has with several other countries. Country-of-origin labeling is simply identifying for the consumer where a product originated. WTO said that COOL is a "technical barrier to trade." The Obama Administration is appealing this ruling. Consumer groups believe that consumers have a right to know where their food comes from. Food Poisoning Bulletin asked Chris Waldrop, Director of the Consumer Federation of America's (CFA) Food Policy Institute, about this issue. In a statement, the CFA said that … [Read more...]