Democrats propose country of origin rule for food, drugs

WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers want to make sure people know where their food and drugs come from and the overseas plants producing them are regularly inspected.

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee proposed Thursday that all produce labels be required to show the country of origin. They also want food manufacturers of all kinds to identify on their corporate Web site where each ingredient in a particular food product originated.

Drug labels also would have to identify the source of a medicine's active ingredient and its place of manufacture. Labels for all medical devices would have to show country of origin, as well.

The United States imports more than $2 trillion worth of products from more than 150 countries. Lawmakers and the Bush administration say the 62 deaths associated with contaminated batches of the blood thinner heparin and a variety of food and drug safety problems point to the need for improved oversight.