Food Label Policy

WASHINGTON (AP) - Shoppers will have more information about where their food comes from under a new policy starting Monday.

Labels on most fresh meats, along with some fruits, vegetables and other foods, will now list where the food originated. In the case of meats, some labels will list where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered.

Food safety groups have long lobbied for the policy, which was enacted by Congress as part of a wide-ranging farm bill last year. It's also popular with ranchers in the northern part of the United States who compete with Canadian cattle producers.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month asked the meat industry to go beyond the new policy, which was written by the Bush administration, to be even more specific about where an animal was born, raised and slaughtered.