Sonny Bono: “Mr. Speaker, when the House of Representatives passed the Bono-Hooley amendment on country-of-origin labeling to the…”

“Mr. Speaker, when the House of Representatives passed the Bono-Hooley amendment on country-of-origin labeling to the farm bill, we took a positive step forward. However, despite the House's resounding approval of this amendment, the farm bill conferees are considering an option to give us country-of-origin labeling on a voluntary basis and then leave the question of whether to mandate labeling up to the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Speaker, this does us no good. We already have a voluntary program. So this offer to institute voluntary labeling does absolutely nothing to address the concerns our constituents have in wanting to know where in the world their produce and beef comes from. When the last comprehensive labeling act was passed by Congress nearly 70 years ago, there were very few fruit and vegetable imports into the United States. However, with our grocery stores now inundated with foreign-grown produce and beef, I believe it is up to Congress and not to the Secretary of Agriculture, to mandate a consumer's right to know.”