Canada has just
beaten back the United States requirement that meats be labeled for
country of origin and now Italy wants to do the same for durum wheat.
As was the case for
beef and pork, Canadians say this would discriminate against Canadian
durum wheat because the Italian grain and pasta industry would have
to segregate Canadian durum throughout the importing, handling,
storage and milling supply chain, imposing costs that would force
Canadians to cut prices to retain sales to Italy.
While Italy has a
vaunted reputation for high-quality pasta, it doesn’t say much
about this top-quality pasta being made with Canadian durum wheat.
In fact, Canadians
import pasta from Italy that has been made from Canadian durum.
The World Trade
Organization ruled that the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling
regulations were unfair and illegal and the U.S. finally withdrew
them under the threat of WTO-approved tariff retaliation.
