A new study shows that American consumers prefer meat raised in the U.S., and the National Farmers Union says Congress should respect consumers’ rights to know and reject efforts to repeal Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).
“Opponents of COOL have argued that it has no impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions,” said Johnson. “This study clearly shows the opposite: that consumers use COOL to draw inferences related to a food product’s safety, taste and freshness. NFU urges Congress to reject efforts to repeal the popular labeling law and instead focus on finding a solution to the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute that maintains the integrity of COOL and continues to provide consumers with information they use to make informed decisions about what they eat.”
The study, authored by University of Arkansas marketing researchers, found that COOL provides consumers with additional information that has both direct and indirect effects on purchasing decisions.
“The (COOL) requirement impacts inferred attributes, such that meat products from the U.S are perceived to be safer, tastier, and fresher than meat products from Mexico,” notes the study. “These attribute inferences, in turn, have differentially positive effects on purchase intentions.”
The U.S. Senate will soon weigh its options for meeting WTO obligations and search for the path forward in regards to COOL.