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America is moving one more step closer to awareness of where its food comes from.

The US Department of Agriculture has mandated that all produce as well as meat, fish, and poultry sold in US retail stores will be required to have country of origin labels (COOL) beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Aside from knowing more about your food's origins, the COOL new system (pun intended) could be helpful in situations such as this year's widespread salmonella outbreak. Since the outbreak was traced to Mexico, if you purchased jalapeno or serrano peppers from, say, California, you could be assured that your produce wasn't from the contaminated source.

For years, COOL has been applied to canned or boxed foods packaged overseas, but this will be the first time the rule is required for fresh foods. There are exceptions, however: meat and fish sold in small butcheries or fish markets; salad bars or packaged mixed fruit and vegetable salads; bacon, ham, and smoked salmon; frozen vegetables; domestically canned vegetables; cooked shrimp; and roasted peanuts. What do you think of this move? Are you glad to learn more about where your food comes from?

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Yes, I'm sorry to say, but Davis Creek Meats and Seafood of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is voluntarily recalling 129,000 lbs of beef products in 15 states because of possible E. coli contamination.

The USDA said that the meat products were made between March 1 and April 30, and were shipped to Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The meat products were made for Gordon Food Service stores.

The items under recall include boxes of mechanically tenderized steaks and ground beef of different weights. Labels on the boxes bear the establishment number “Est. 1947A” inside the USDA mark of inspection and a date code (on the top right corner of the label) between “060” and “120.”

Fit's Tips: If you are concerned about meat you bought under the "Gordon Food Service" name, check this list of products that are part of the recall.

If you are interested in talking to the farmers that grow your food, you have to shop at your local farmers' market. It is the best way to learn how your food is grown and always cool to meet the folks that grow it. Farmers often share great tricks for storing their (and soon to be your) produce, sometimes they offer up great cooking techniques or favorite food combos.

If there is agriculture within 50 miles of your town, the chances are high there is a farmers' market nearby. I just found this super thorough listing of markets, organized by state and city, that was put together by the USDA. So if you are concerned about the carbon footprint created by the food you eat and are following the 100 Mile Diet you should really shop your local market. Chances are high that the prices there are lower than at your local grocery store. Plus you know the produce has just been picked so it will be super fresh and super nutritious.

Remember the food pyramid? You know the one that we were all taught was so important for us in grade school even though it really made absolutely zero sense? Well the food pyramid has had a bit of a face-lift and I must say, it's about time!

The new pyramid features vertical bands (rather than the old horizontal ones) in six different colors to represent different food groups and types. Orange equals grains, green is for vegetables, red is for fruits, blue represents dairy, purple is meat and beans and yellow stands for oils. There is a drawing of a person climbing a set of steps (Steps to a Healthier You) on the side of the pyramid, which is meant to show that physical activity is important to health as well as eating right.

One huge change (for me at least) is that the measurements are now measured in cups instead of servings. Most of us know what a cup is, but a serving is so vague. The new pyramid is a lot more personal and user friendly than the previous pyramid. By visiting MyPyramid.gov you can plug in your stats and get your own nutrition plan. Pretty cool and definitely a change from the one-size-fits-all pyramid from the days of yore.