topic Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN? in Kitchen

QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

DiAnne — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:34:11 GMT

Isn't there supposed to be a place of origin on food? I thought that was a law. I was looking at a bag of popcorn I had picked up a Trader Joe's and all it said was Dist and Sold exclusively by: Trader Joe's, Monrovia, CA 91016. How do I know where it was made?

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

ValuSkr — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 03:52:05 GMT

It may be safe to assume the product was made / grown in the U.S. if no country of origin is shown. You'd have to ask TJ's to be sure. One online source reports this as Aldi's policy, and Aldi's is TJ's sister company. Having said that, TJ's is notoriously secretive about its sourcing practices. They said that protects its competitive edge and hence its low pricing. However, it also prevents consumers from learning anything about the companies and farms that produce TJ's goods. You can learn more about this online; a good deal has been written.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

Snowpuppy — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 04:25:46 GMT

An item need not be labeled with country of origin if the product is US made.

Labeling requirements are for imported items. Including food.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

DiAnne — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 05:43:14 GMT

Thanks both of you. I was just curious.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

HonnyBrown — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 13:19:11 GMT

All, thanks for the information! I thought fresh items like produce and fish had to be labeled.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

Snowpuppy — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 23:36:05 GMT

On 10/29/2014 HonnyBrown said:
All, thanks for the information! I thought fresh items like produce and fish had to be labeled.

No, only if they are imported from another country.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

RespectLife — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:49:35 GMT

Really good question, DiAnne. I went to an expert....my sister! LOL She works for a Custom Brokerage (they handle ALL the paperwork on everything coming into the US via land/sea/air and through any border) She is head of the companies FDA Compliance Unit. She said:

"Country of origin is required to be on the cartons that the products are shipped in for Customs purposes…but for FDA purposes, the labeling does not have to include the originating country of origin… only who distributes it.

From the FDA’s website…this is all that has to be on the label.

What name and address must be listed on the label?

Answer: Food labels must list:

Name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. Unless the name given is the actual manufacturer, it must be accompanied by a qualifying phrase which states the firm's relation to the product (e.g., "manufactured for "or "distributed by");
Street address if the firm name and address are not listed in a current city directory or telephone book;
City or town;
State (or country, if outside the United States); and
ZIP code (or mailing code used in countries other than the United States).

So basically…eat at your own risk! " **(Her warning, not mine!)**

That's what she said! Jeepers...not very comforting, is it! She always warns me about reading the labels and not purchasing cheap stuff (such as dollar store items, cheap spices etc) that you can't distinguish the origin.

Kinda scares me about Trader Joe's now...I really don't care who distributes it! I care who grew it/packed it etc!

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

RespectLife — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:53:00 GMT

On 10/28/2014 ValuSkr said:
It may be safe to assume the product was made / grown in the U.S. if no country of origin is shown. You'd have to ask TJ's to be sure. One online source reports this as Aldi's policy, and Aldi's is TJ's sister company. Having said that, TJ's is notoriously secretive about its sourcing practices. They said that protects its competitive edge and hence its low pricing. However, it also prevents consumers from learning anything about the companies and farms that produce TJ's goods. You can learn more about this online; a good deal has been written.

Sorry, but NO...you can not assume the product was made/grown in the U.S. if no country of origin is shown.

The label does NOT have to state origin...only the giant shipping cartons which we will never see.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

RespectLife — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 16:57:16 GMT

On 10/28/2014 Snowpuppy said:
An item need not be labeled with country of origin if the product is US made.

Labeling requirements are for imported items. Including food.

I'm sorry...but again I would disagree...see my above post. The label on the ANY product, not just Imported items, is NOT required by the FDA to list the orgin. It doesn't matter where the product comes from...US or otherwise.

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

RespectLife — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 17:21:26 GMT

Sis also says....

"well if it is any consolation, the importer such as trader joes is legally liable for the safety of the food products they import under the Food Safety Modernization Act and they must possess safety records for all the manufacturers of the products they import from."

Naw...not really any consolation! LOL

Maybe for my next of kin....

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

DiAnne — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 01:56:39 GMT

On 10/30/2014 RespectLife said:
Really good question, DiAnne. I went to an expert....my sister! LOL She works for a Custom Brokerage (they handle ALL the paperwork on everything coming into the US via land/sea/air and through any border) She is head of the companies FDA Compliance Unit. She said:

"Country of origin is required to be on the cartons that the products are shipped in for Customs purposes…but for FDA purposes, the labeling does not have to include the originating country of origin… only who distributes it.

From the FDA’s website…this is all that has to be on the label.

What name and address must be listed on the label?

Answer: Food labels must list:

Name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. Unless the name given is the actual manufacturer, it must be accompanied by a qualifying phrase which states the firm's relation to the product (e.g., "manufactured for "or "distributed by");

Street address if the firm name and address are not listed in a current city directory or telephone book;

City or town;

State (or country, if outside the United States); and

ZIP code (or mailing code used in countries other than the United States).

So basically…eat at your own risk! " **(Her warning, not mine!)**

That's what she said! Jeepers...not very comforting, is it! She always warns me about reading the labels and not purchasing cheap stuff (such as dollar store items, cheap spices etc) that you can't distinguish the origin.

Kinda scares me about Trader Joe's now...I really don't care who distributes it! I care who grew it/packed it etc!

RespectLife - Thanks for the info. You are right about Trader Joe's - I looked at another couple of items in the cupboard from Trader Joe's - the low sodium soy sauce said Product of Japan, the cornichons said Product of France. Now I really wonder where that popcorn was made and why it was not on the label. Maybe it was made in USA??

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

forrestwolf — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 02:31:56 GMT

Understand........a lot of canned goods are labeled grown or produced in the USA or product of the USA, but then the items are then sent to China, or wherever, and then processed and shipped back to the USA, in China made cans and packages.......

Re: QUESTION - PLACE OF ORIGIN?

ValuSkr — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:05:25 GMT

DiAnne, here's a good article from Food Safety News. Maybe more than you wanted to know, but I thought it was interesting. One thing I've learned is that "country of origin" for food - especially processed food - isn't always straightforward.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2012/04/a-question-of-origin/#.VFOWMfnF9rM