Do you want to know what country produced the food you eat? Too bad, says the World Trade Organization (WTO). That’s a barrier to free trade, so you don’t get to know.
The US instituted a labeling law requiring that all foods’ country of origin be on the label; it was part of the 2008 Farm Bill. Canada and Mexico complained to the WTO, saying that it would discourage food imports. It took three years, but the WTO decided that labeling food with its country of origin is a “technical barrier to trade”. In 1979, the US signed a treaty that includes prevention of technical barriers to trade. Of course, that term was not fully defined. It was up to the WTO to say just what it means. And they’ve done just that in regard to food—though for some inexplicable reason, meat is not included. Therefore, country of origin labeling can continue with meat.