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GOURMET NEWS OCTOBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com EDITORIAL 7 Meat Labels Continued from PAGE 1 meat products. Consumers wary of foreign meats can now select "purely" American beef, pork and other products. With the USDA limited in its capacity to test im- ported foods – only about 2-3 percent of the 10 million or so international food products on U.S. retail shelves have under- gone testing – Americans will now be able to readily choose more rigorously tested domestic meat products. "Consumers today want more informa- tion, not less, about the products they are buying and feeding their families," said Colin O'Neil, Director of Government Af- fairs at the Center for Food Safety in Wash- ington, D.C. "And this ruling is an import victory for those U.S. consumers." In a sur- vey conducted by the Consumer Federa- tion of America, 90 percent of respondents favored requiring food sellers to indicate the country of origin of fresh meat products on the label. While some large meatpackers are op- posed to the new labeling requirements due to the expense involved in complying (for example, live animals imported from Canada, Mexico and other countries will need to be kept segregated from U.S.-born animals), many groups involved in the do- mestic beef and pork industry actually sup- port the legislation. "We view country of origin labeling as a marketing tool," said Dale Moore, Execu- tive Director of Public Policy for the Amer- ican Farm Bureau. "Our grassroots mem- bers are confident that if consumers have a choice, they will select the American prod- uct." Moore and others in the industry view country of origin labeling as similar in na- ture to designations such as Angus Beef, in which producers meeting certain criteria can receive a premium price for a much-de- sired product. Another such desirous label is 'organic,' and some organic ranchers are equally pleased with the new labels. "We're happy to see it. It should be on all our foods," said George Vojkovich, owner of Skagit River Ranch in northwest Washington state. Sk- agit River Ranch is an organic farm that raises cattle, pigs and poultry. "Labeling is so important, and it's becoming more im- portant when we see issues [instances of food contamination] abroad. People are trying to eat healthier food, and they're aware of quality issues." As consumers are given more informa- tion about the foods they buy, and country of origin labeling rules have evolved, some believe that a momentum continues to build that is felt on a broader scale, over and above a consumer's choice on which package of tenderloin to buy. "When people find out about this, they want to know more," said O'Neil of the expanded information on meat labels. As consumers ask more questions and take more interest in what goes into the foods on their dinner table, gourmet retailers may see new opportunities to introduce shoppers to higher-quality products across all food categories. GN Food Lobbying Continued from PAGE 1 can be doing to directly influence those policies and work with federal officials to create a regulatory environment that pro- tects their industry as well as the health and safety of the American consumer. Many individuals within the larger spe- cialty food landscape are already actively involved in lobbying legislators and regu- lators and advocating for public policy changes on the state and federal level. Ac- cording to the Center for Responsive Poli- tics, the food and beverage industry spent over $30 million on lobbying in 2013 and directly employed 329 lobbyists. The top spenders included Coca Cola ($5.9 mil- lion) and PepsiCo ($3.7 million), but a number of industry trade groups, including the National Restaurant Association, the American Beverage Association and the In- ternational Foodservice Distributors Asso- ciation also do their part to influence public policy. In recent years, a number of food indus- try trade groups have demonstrated the power that their industry can exert on pub- lic policy. The American Meat Institute, for example, has been influential in shaping the USDA's requirements regarding how meat is labeled for sale in this country. And the Grocery Manufacturers Association has been a key voice in ongoing public discus- sions over how best to eliminate childhood obesity, serving as an industry partner for First Lady Michele Obama's Let's Move Campaign. Food industry lobbying and public policy advocacy groups have been instrumental in shaping everything from GMO-related legislation to government subsidies and import tariffs. A relatively new lobbying and public ad- formation to consumers and to policy mak- ers, taking complicated material and mak- ing it understandable for consumers and bringing the experts together with policy makers," said Baer-Sinnott. When it comes to specialty cheese in particular, those critical of forming a ded- icated lobbying or public policy interest group argue that resources are scarce, and those resources are perhaps better spent on developing new products and getting them to consumers. Houlding, however, argues that for her organization, money spent has been worthwhile. "I think it's an important use of resources, and certainly from an olive oil perspective and how our market is structured, if you don't have a voice in Washington and you're not work- ing to educate your elected officials re- garding challenges your industry may face … somebody is going to fill that void," she said. "There's something to be gained in creating relationships with the federal government … If you have somebody in Washington or at least you're speaking as a unified industry voice, maybe you can get ahead of some of those issues and pre- vent some of those things." With FDA officials announcing at the recent ACS Conference a commitment to working with the specialty cheese indus- try as it moves toward developing new in- dustry-specific regulations, industry representatives are now contemplating how best to pursue this ongoing dialogue. This is a question that is particularly im- portant to the Cheese of Choice Coali- tion. "I think looking back 14 or 15 years and comparing it to today, there is more dialogue," said Baer-Sinnott. "It's a very hopeful thing, and that puts the Cheese of Choice Coalition and other organiza- tions … in a position where it's really pos- sible to make a difference." GN vocacy organization, the American Olive Oil Producers Association was founded less than two years ago. In that short time, the organization has become an important tool in protecting the interests of U.S.-based olive oil producers at home and abroad. Al- ready in its short life span, the AOOPA was able to work with U.S. Rep. David Camp of the House Ways and Means Committee to launch an official investigation into the do- mestic olive oil industry. That investigation resulted in an independent government re- port that came out in August 2013 that dis- cusses those issues in detail. "We've been making great strides work- ing with our government and recognizing the challenges that face our industry," said Kimberly Houlding, Executive Director of the AOOPA. "We want to make sure that we have a fair and honest market." The cheese industry itself is not a stranger to public policy advocacy. Estab- lished in 2000, and recently re-launched, the non-profit Cheese of Choice Coalition has been an important resource in advocat- ing for the rights of American consumers to purchase and consume raw milk cheeses. After the FDA proposed changes in 1999 to its regulations concerning the production of raw milk cheeses, the Cheese of Choice Coalition stepped in as a voice for the industry, and it was an important player in protecting raw milk cheeses from effectively being abolished during that time. "The point of the organization was to allow consumers to still choose their cheese, because there was a threat to change the aging time for raw milk cheeses," said Sara Baer-Sinnott, President of Oldways, parent organization of the Cheese of Choice Coalition. "[We] support the production of artisan, traditional and raw milk cheeses and we do this through education, alliance, advocacy, consumer outreach and community engagement." Those who support organizing as an in- dustry in order to advance the interests of specialty food in Washington argue that this type of coalition-building is necessary to collectively establish shared interests and to serve as a unified voice in advancing those interests. "If there is not an industry voice – one unified voice to speak to elected officials – there is going to be some- one else filling that voice," said Houlding. "In our case, that was importers and for- eign producers … In many cases we do not have the same views as importers and for- eign producers." In addition to serving as a unified voice of an industry, the AOOPA and other spe- cialty food interest groups also have an im- portant role to play in protecting the interests of consumers. "Consumers de- serve an honestly labeled product. We need to provide them the assurance that they are receiving an honestly labeled product," said Houlding. The Cheese of Choice Coalition similarly serves as an advocate for consumers. Brad Jones, Program Manager for the Cheese of Choice Coalition worries what would hap- pen if consumers suddenly lost access to the products they love. "Let the consumers have the right to purchase, consume and enjoy that cheese," he said. In addition, as many specialty food pro- fessionals strive to approach their industry scientifically, developing fact-based ap- proaches to food production and food safety, these individuals are at the same time looking for ways to communicate the scientific data they have developed to those who have the power to effect change. The formation of a lobbying or special interest group can be of service to this goal as well. "We focus on bringing science-based in- Bemka Corporation Celebrates 30th Year of Bringing Caviar and Fine Foods to Specialty Foods Shoppers Bemka Corporation is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Since its founding in April, 1984, Bemka Corporation has deliv- ered a full line of caviar and fine foods in Europe and the United States for customers in the fine foods industry, including restau- rants, hotels, country clubs, catering and fine foods distributors. "Over the last 15 years, Bemka Corpora- tion has remained strong throughout the many changes in the economic climate," said Max Moghaddam, CEO and Founder of Bemka. "I attribute our success to two things: First, our expertise to source and se- lect the world's best caviar and fine foods from around the globe. Second, we con- stantly look for ways to optimize our operations in every single area of the business. This serves both our customers and our company well, par- ticularly during harder economic times." GN

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