search our site

home > publications

Country-of-Origin Labeling: Theory and Observation By Barry Krissoff, Fred Kuchler, Kenneth Nelson, Janet Perry, and Agapi Somwaru Outlook Report No. (WRS04-02) 18 pp, January 2004 This report examines the economic rationale behind the various claims about the effects of mandatory country-of-origin labeling, thereby identifying the most likely outcomes. Profits motivate firms to innovate and introduce thousands of new food products each year to satisfy consumers' demand. Yet, food suppliers have generally not emphasized, advertised, or labeled food with U.S. country of origin. The infrequency of "Made in USA" labels on food suggests suppliers do not believe domestic origin is an attribute that can attract much consumer interest. We find little evidence that suppliers would have difficulty supplying such labels if there were sufficient consumer interest. Keywords: country-of-origin labeling, consumer demand, meat, fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish, and peanuts, ERS, USDA In this report ... Chapters are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Entire Report, 220 kb. web administration: webadmin@ers.usda.gov page updated: February 17, 2004

Ag Chemicals & Production Technology Agribusiness/Industry Concentration Agricultural Market/Trade Projections Agricultural R&D and Productivity Biotechnology Crops Diet, Consumption, & Health Farm Financial & Risk Management Farm Structure, Income, & Performance Farm/Rural Finance & Tax Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs Food Market Structures Food Prices, Spreads & Margins Food Safety International Agriculture Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Aquaculture Macroeconomics in the Ag & Food Economy Natural Resources, Environment, & Conservation Policy Topics Rural America Trade U.S./State Facts What's New State Facts Calendar of Releases E-Mail Updates Subject Specialists Archive