1. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)
   • Proposed Rule - Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling of Beef, Lamb, Pork, Fish, Perishable Agricultural Commodities, and Peanuts - October 30, 2003
     [PDF] (43p) / [Text]
          Public Comments

   • Other COOL Resources from USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service including News Releases, Overview of proposed rule and Farm Bill language.

   • October 2002 proposed guidelines -- Establishment of Guidelines for the Interim Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling of Beef, Lamb, Pork, Fish, Perishable Agricultural Commodities, and Peanuts Under the Authority of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, [Docket Number LS-02-13]

2. Risk Assessment for Food Terrorism and Other Food Safety Concerns

   "The events of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax incidents(1) gave rise to concerns about unconventional terrorist attacks, including the threat of attacks on the U.S. food supply. Those events also heightened international awareness that nations could be targets for biological or chemical terrorism--a threat that had long concerned military and public health officials.

   In the aftermath of those incidents, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took steps to improve its ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to, incidents of food sabotage. Though motivated by the concerns about deliberate contamination, those activities built upon and expanded the agency's continuing efforts to protect consumers from foods that have been unintentionally contaminated (e.g., through processing failures or handling errors).

   As part of those activities, FDA assessed the risk to, and vulnerability of, the U.S. food supply to an act of terrorism.(2) However, most of those assessments contain classified information. To promote transparency, FDA prepared this publicly available assessment of the risks to public health of a terrorist attack on the food supply and of serious illness due to inadvertent food contamination."

3. Public Law 107-188: Bio-Terrorism Act

4. Public Law 107-171: Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
   NOTE: This URL provides the most complete listing of information regarding the impact of Public Law 107-171. "Subtitle D of Farm Bill," near the bottom provides the exact relevant text of the law.

5. "Guidance for Industry: Food Producers, Processors, Transporters, and Retailers: Food Security Preventive Measures Guidance." US FDA, January 2002

6. "Guidelines to Help Ensure a Secure Agribusiness," Agricultural Retailers Association, Crop Life America, and The Fertilizer Institute

7. "Biosecurity Issues Affecting Agricultural Crops & Communities: Genomics, Biotechnology, & Infrastructure" American Phytopathological Society.

8. Keep America's Food and Agriculture Safe, Version 1 and Version 2 (single page poster)
   NOTE: USDA's tips for Producers to "protect the food supply from farm to the table"

Food Safety Initiative Introduction
Work Plan