Thursday, February 5, 2009

V. Mac’s Beef Tips – February, 2009

Did You Know?

Buy Local and Forget COOL

As CONSUMERS we must be protected by our Federal Government from doing something stupid. My mother would never buy meat from an unknown source. However, Uncle Sam is worried that I will; therefore, Congress and USDA have devised a new law known as Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL). The law went into effect on 9/30/2008.

Allen Nation, editor of the Stockman Grassland Farmer, has dug into the new law and has found some loopholes. Here are a few:

  1. The COOL law only applies to retail stores that sell BOTH meat and vegetables. Butcher shops are exempt (can you believe that!).
  2. Hamburger only requires labeling that identifies countries from which the meat might have come.
  3. All processed meats are exempt. One drop of sodium or liquid smoke and the COOL law goes out the window.
  4. All restaurant sales are exempt.

And there is more, such as grace periods during which the labeling laws will not be enforced. Allen Nation concludes that the “COOL law is a Big Joke”.

Something that is not a big joke is LOCAL. If you will shop for LOCALLY produced foods, you can forget about COOL. My favorite market for Local Foods is Whole Foods. In fact you can find our beef in seven (7) Whole Foods Markets’ in central North and South Carolina or come to our Local Farmers’ Market in Carrboro, NC. Or, better yet, just come to our Baldwin Beef Farm Outlet. It can’t get more LOCAL than that.

By the way, check our website (www.baldwinbeef.com) for a neat Valentine Special---Two Filets and a 12 oz Chocolate Gourmet Fudge Heart from Sugar Rush in Mebane, NC.

V. Mac

The Good News is —Blessed are all those that put their trust in Him (Jesus) --- Psalm 2:12