Farmers’ Markets Crack Down on Fraud
Vendors should be held to certain legal requirements-for instance, that farmers selling produce actually grow the produce themselves.
Farmers’ markets may be ubiquitous in California, but shoppers sauntering down to their local market after a nice Sunday brunch may not realize-or, rather, may blindly trust-that vendors are held to certain legal requirements-for instance, that farmers selling produce actually grow the produce themselves.
According to media outlet KQED, a new bill in California, AB 1871, aims to crack down on farmers’ market fraud.
Specifically, the bill would make it possible to impose criminal charges on farmers making false claims, such as advertising that their produce is organic, when in fact it is not, or that produce is “California grown,” when in fact it is purchased from a third party elsewhere.
According to the text of AB 1871, “The bill would require vendors of agricultural products selling within a certified farmers’ market to comply with specified signage and labeling requirements, and would make those representations subject to criminal, civil, and administrative penalties, as specified. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would repeal provisions authorizing an aggrieved certified producer to submit a request to the Department of Food and Agriculture for an advisory opinion, and for the department to issue the advisory opinion, and would repeal provisions requiring the department to provide for an informal hearing process for grievances relating to certified farmers’ markets.”
Notably, the bill would raise the current 60-cent stall fee for farmers to $2. That money does not go into the pocket of the farmers’ market organizer, however; instead, the funds will be used to pay state inspectors to more heavily investigate and enforce against farmers’ market fraud. According to David Karp, a fruit expert interviewed by KQED, the fee hike will raise somewhere around $1.4 million per year.
If approved, the bill would become effective January 1, 2015. The bill not only applies to produce farmers but also to those who sell ancillary farmers’ market products, such as popcorn and other cooked fare.
Jennifer Grebow
Editor-in-Chief
Nutritional Outlook magazine jennifer.grebow@ubm.com
Photo © iStockphoto.com/IgorDutina
Judge denies CRN’s motion for preliminary injunction but its lawsuit against NY state will proceed
April 23rd 2024The judge in CRN's lawsuit against NY state's law banning the sale of weight management and muscle building supplements to minors has denied its motion for a preliminary injunction, but determined that CRN has standing to sue on behalf of its members.
CRN NY State lawsuit update: Dispatch from SupplySide East 2024
April 18th 2024CRN's Steve Mister updates Nutritional Outlook about its ongoing litigation against NY State. The organization sued the state to prevent the enforcement of law that bans sale of weight management supplements to minors.
U.S. Hemp Authority announces Adult Use Hemp Product Certification Program
April 15th 2024The U.S. Hemp Authority (USHA) has announced the launch of its Adult Use Hemp Product Certification Program in an effort to “reshape public policy around hemp, and to build confidence among retailers and consumers alike.”
