Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)

The Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rule is a mandatory labeling law that requires retailers to inform their customers on the country-of-origin of meat products including single-ingredient, unprocessed meat products, such as ground beef, roasts, chops and other cuts sold in retail stores.

Consumer awareness of COOL has increased since the law went into effect in 2008 and according to the 2012 Power of Meat Report -- 34 percent of shoppers are willing to pay more for U.S.-raised meat. Awareness of COOL is highest among consumers who saw the information on-pack versus signage within the meat department.

COOL is not a food safety tool, it is a marketing resource that provides consumers with information on the origin of beef products. USDA created four label categories for meat products to represent the variety of beef products sold in the U.S. Ground beef must be labeled with all countries of origin that are in a processor’s supply and might be used in any given batch.

1. Product of the U.S. — for meat from animals born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States 
2. Product of the U.S., Mexico, or Canada — a label designating multiple countries of origin is used for meat from animals born, raised and/or slaughtered in the United States. For instance, this label may be used when an animal is born in Canada or Mexico and brought to the U.S. for feeding and processing.
3. Product of Canada and the U.S. — for meat from animals born and raised in another country and brought to the U.S. solely for processing. When animals are imported directly for slaughter the other country is placed ahead of the U.S. on the labels.
4. Product of Australia — for boxed beef processed and imported from another country. 

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is your best resource for information on the COOL rule.