Sponsors (2)
The bill increases online transparency and gives consumers a federal enforcement path to challenge false origin claims—improving choice and certain safety traceability—while imposing new compliance costs, supply‑chain reporting burdens, and enforcement risks on sellers, with notable exemptions that leave some common food items opaque.
Online shoppers (all consumers) will see a product's country of origin and the seller's principal place of business when shopping online, giving them clearer information to choose products based on origin.
Consumers gain a federal enforcement avenue (FTC authority) to challenge false or missing origin disclosures, increasing the chance of remediation for misleading listings.
Patients who use certain drugs (e.g., chronic-condition patients) can better identify the manufacturer/packer/distributor for specific drugs, improving traceability and safety reporting.
Retailers and online marketplaces (especially small sellers) must incur new compliance costs to collect and display origin and seller-location information, raising operating expenses and potentially increasing prices.
Sellers face legal risk and potential FTC penalties if they fail to comply or rely on inaccurate third‑party data, creating liability exposure for businesses.
Manufacturers, importers, and private‑labelers must supply additional origin and seller data to retailers, increasing administrative burden and possibly causing supply‑chain friction or delays.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires internet sellers to disclose product country of origin and the seller's principal place of business for items covered by U.S. marking law, with exclusions and FTC enforcement.
Official title: Require origin and location disclosure for new products of Foreign origin offered for sale on the internet.
Introduced January 29, 2025 by Tammy Baldwin · Last progress January 29, 2025
Requires internet sellers to clearly show the country of origin (as defined in U.S. law) for products that must be marked under existing country‑of‑origin rules, and to disclose the country where the seller has its principal place of business. The rule includes multiple exclusions (certain agricultural commodities, inspected meat/poultry, egg products, FDA‑regulated foods/drugs, used goods, and very small sellers) and a limited safe harbor for retailers who reasonably rely on third‑party origin data. The FTC enforces violations under existing unfair or deceptive acts authority, and the rule becomes effective 12 months after an interagency MOU is published.