Beef and pork producers got confirmation March 2nd that COOL regulations would no longer apply to their production processes. COOL regulatory requirements for chicken, lamb, goat, farm-raised and wild-caught fish and shellfish, perishable agricultural commodities, peanuts, pecans, macadamia nuts and ginseng remain in effect.
Source: Beef Producer, March 3, 2016.
Under this final rule, beef and pork muscle cuts and ground beef and pork are removed from the list of covered commodities subject to the COOL regulation. Retailers are no longer required to provide this information for beef and pork at the point of sale.
INSIGHTS: This ruling comes as relief as veterinarians and producers are gearing up for VFD oversight. With COOL still in place on other foods, one has to wonder how long it will be before we hear about re-implementing COOL rules for beef and pork.