April 3, 2008

IMI Global becomes exclusive marketer for new US meat label

Press Release
 

Integrated Management Information, Inc. (IMI Global), a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agricultural and livestock industries, has announced its signing of an agreement to become the exclusive worldwide marketer of the trademarked "Born & Raised in the USA" label.

The agreement puts IMI Global in a strong position to move the industry toward mandatory labelling of all meat products to identify the country of origin. There are 87 billion pounds of meat produced in the US annually.

Under terms of the 2002 Farm Bill, retailers nationwide must display on their packaging a label identifying the country of origin (COOL) for meat products, including beef, pork, lamb and fish, starting in the fall of 2008. The Born & Raised in the USA® label, currently being used on a voluntary basis and appearing on products in selected retail stores, provides retailers, processors and producers a streamlined and proven third-party verification program as well as a means of supporting and promoting domestic meat products.

"With the deadline for domestic retailers to begin displaying country of origin labelling fast approaching, this agreement is both timely and potentially one of the most important partnerships IMI Global has been a part of," said John Saunders, president and CEO of IMI Global.

"We believe the Born & Raised in the USA® label, backed by IMI's third-party verification systems, will find broad acceptance among domestic packers and retailers who are subject to this mandate beginning later this year. The brand, which includes a prominently displayed American flag, is a compelling visual that we believe will appeal to packers and retailers while giving consumers a simple and recognizable label to identify a product exclusively born, raised and processed in the US," said Saunders, who added that the company's goal is to make the labelling into an industry standard.

Founded in 1995, IMI Global is a leading provider of verification and Internet solutions for the agriculture industry. IMI provides web-based applications for verification and identification as well as a range of consulting services.