Legislation would help consumers identify safe, American-made products
Washington. The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today praised the introduction of new, bipartisan country-of-origin labeling legislation by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Kelly Loeffler (R-GA). The new bill, the ‘Country of Origin Labeling Online Act’ (COOL), would mandate that country-of-origin labeling be clearly and conspicuously stated in any website description of a product.
“This should be a no-brainer for every Member of Congress,” said CPA Chair Dan DiMicco. “Consumers already want to buy American-made products, and there’s no excuse for deceptive online marketing. If something is made in the United States, consumers want to know that. And they certainly want to know if a product is made in China or another county where unsafe production has long been an issue.”
Under current U.S. law, a product’s external packaging must state its country of origin. However, e-commerce has made distinguishing an item’s place of origin more difficult. Websites often do not display the country-of-origin for a product since labeling laws were written before the advent of internet shopping.
CPA strongly supports the COOL bill, particularly in light of growing consumer interest in buying domestically produced items. The new bill would mandate a prominent country-of-origin description for all products sold online as well as clear disclosure of the country in which the seller of the product is located.
“We’re pleased to see Senator Baldwin and her colleagues introduce the ‘Country of Origin Labeling Online Act,’” said Michael Stumo, CEO of the CPA. “Consumers have a right to know where the products they purchase on the Internet are made. By requiring this information for website sales, consumers will gain some protection against unsafe, counterfeit, and shoddy goods. And they’ll have more information to help them focus on finding quality, American-made products.”
Read more about U.S. consumers looking to buy American-made products.
