Packages of beef, chicken, fresh produce and frozen fruits and vegetables next year will have to carry labels telling where the food was produced, reports the Sacramento Bee. This "country of origin" labeling (COOL for short) will cost $2.5 billion, according to estimates released by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Most of that cost (less than the Ag Department estimated earlier) will be shouldered by retailers. They will be required to put stick-on labels identifying where food was produced. U.S. food producers have been pushing for COOL for ages, both as a marketing tool and as a way for consumers to have more control over what food they eat.

The USDA estimates that implementing COOL will cost 7 cent a pound for beef and 4 cents a pound for pork.