country of origin labels

Learn the ins and outs of COOL; buy organic and shop at farmer’s markets.

Looking for labels in all the wrong places: produce is exempt from the FDA’s new food labeling law.

• Avoid mystery meat (and unmarked fruit and veggies). If there’s no COOL on your meat or produce, pass it by.

• Tell your grocery store to play it COOL. “Consumers should tell the store where they shop that they want COOL for as much food as possible, even where not covered in the law,” says Lovera. If grocery stores don’t respond, spend your money somewhere else. Online sites, like the Eat Well Guide can help you find alternatives.

• Dodge repeat offenders. Which countries are most likely to export tainted food? It’s a complicated question, and each of us needs to determine our own comfort level. To help, here are the countries with the highest violation rates in the FDA’s Pesticide Program Residue Monitoring between 2004 and 2006:

• Spain
• Peru
• Guatemala
• China
• Dominican Republic

Similarly, these commodities had the highest violation rates during the same period:

• Paprika, whole
• Celery, dried or paste
• Arrowhead (root/tuber vegetable)
• Ginseng (in herbal and botanical tea and non-tea items)
• Basil (sweet)

• Always buy organic, but especially avoid chemically grown versions of these twelve produce items, found by the Environmental Working Group to carry the most pesticides: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes.