Strengthen Produce Labeling Standards to Protect Farmers from Losses

I urge you to support legislation strengthening produce labeling standards to prevent the catastrophic collateral damage to American farmers caused by foodborne illness outbreaks. This summer's cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Mexican-grown iceberg lettuce devastated U.S. growers, particularly in California's Salinas Valley, which produces 70 percent of America's summer lettuce. Lettuce sales dropped nearly 30 percent, production hit its lowest level in 25 years, and wholesale prices fell to break-even costs. Church Brothers Farms alone destroyed 3.9 million heads of lettuce, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars and laying off employees. The core problem: consumers avoided all lettuce regardless of origin or safety status. Romaine lettuce from unaffected regions was destroyed alongside contaminated product because consumers could not distinguish between them. Fear—not actual risk—caused most economic damage. The solution is transparent labeling. Currently, country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements show only basic country information in small print. During a crisis, consumers need to see instantly and prominently: specific growing region (e.g., "Salinas Valley, California" vs. "USA Grown"). Ideally, over time, real-time safety status, batch numbers for traceability, and third-party certifications accessible via QR code could be implemented. While the 2026 Farm Bill unfortunately does not address enhanced produce labeling, I encourage you to pursue complementary measures: Support the COOL Online Act (H.R. 9057/S.294) so that online shoppers have access to this information when placing orders. Strengthen it to require regional granularity—not just country of origin—for produce sold online, closing a growing gap in consumer transparency. Co-sponsor legislation establishing dynamic, real-time labeling standards that link FDA and CDC outbreak data to retail signage and packaging, both in-store and online. The cost of implementing better labeling would be a fraction of the hundreds of millions in destroyed crops we witnessed this summer. Better labeling protects farmers by preventing panic-driven boycotts of safe produce while maintaining public health through accurate information. I urge you to prioritize this issue and support our farmers. We need legislation that brings produce labeling into the 21st century. Thank you for your consideration and service.