Beginning today, the country-of-origin labeling law goes into effect. That will mean fruit, vegetables, meats and some nuts must carry a declaration of where they came from.

THE BACKSTORY: Congress passed the law in 2002, but large food companies, industry groups and even the U.S. Department of Agriculture successfully delayed implementation.

THE NEW RULES: The rules apply to meat from cows, lambs, chickens, pigs and goats, in addition to fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, ginseng, macadamia nuts, pecans and peanuts. Plain ground beef must carry a label, but if a package contains a blend of meats from several countries, the rules don't require the countries to be listed in order of the percentage of food they contributed.

A number of foods will be exempt, including processed foods such as breaded chicken or packages of mixed vegetables.

There is a six-month grace period to implement the program, and anything produced before today is exempt. After that, the USDA can fine violators $1,000 per infraction.

WHAT'S THE COST?

USDA estimates retailers will pay $952 million in the first year. That makes the average price tag $235,000 per grocery company. It will cost an estimated $2.5 billion to implement the plan from the ranch to the supermarket. The USDA estimates it will cost retailers $247 million to maintain the program after the first year.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

CONSUMER ADVOCATES: Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports , sees a demand for country-of-origin labels. In a poll it conducted last year, 92 percent of those asked said imported foods should be labeled.

"If a food-safety problem is identified in a particular imported product, as happened with jalapeno and serrano peppers from Mexico earlier this year, then consumers will be able to avoid that product," said Jean Halloran, the director of food policy initiatives for Consumers Union, in a news release.

AGRICULTURE GROUPS: The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund/United Stockgrowers of America, the National Farmers Union and the United States Cattlemen's Association recently sent an angry letter to the USDA objecting to meatpackers using a label saying a cut of meat is a product of the United States, Mexico and Canada, even if the product is exclusively American.

"Livestock producers who raise exclusively United States animals are proud of their products and want a label on those products differentiating them from others in the meat case to give consumers a choice," the letter states.

WATCHDOG GROUPS: Consumers Union and Food & Water Watch have problems with the way USDA has interpreted the law.

They are concerned the agency watered down its rules by exempting a broad category of food designated "processed."