New Jersey grocers would face a $ 200 a piece fine if they sell fruits or vegetables grown in New York, in other states or abroad with local planting labels, according to a bill backed by outgoing Senate President Steve Sweeney. , and presented Monday by the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.
Sweeney’s bill is intended to prevent fruits and vegetables imported from other states or countries from flooding New Jersey shelves and being marketed as if they were locally grown, thereby misleading consumers who are trying to compare food produced by local farms. state.
But the industry fears that NJ S4128 (20R) will prove too punitive. The leaders asked Sweeney to amend the fines, which would apply to any grocery store, supermarket, farmer’s market or convenience store that sells a mislabeled fruit or vegetable. The fines would be $ 100 to $ 200 a piece, so a mislabeled bushel of apples, containing about 120 apples, could result in a $ 24,000 fine.
Industry representatives point out that the definition of “local” could start a food fight with neighboring states. If other states used the same definition, that could hurt New Jersey farmers who bring their produce to Philadelphia and New York City.
Zone 7, a food distributor that sells products from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware to Whole Foods, among other stores, urged lawmakers during a public hearing to adopt a definition of “local” that encompasses the products of the neighboring states.
Senator Richard Codey (D-Essex) recommended changing the bill’s language to something less fuzzy, such as “Jersey local.”
But the Senate Energy and Environment Committee voted to promote the bill unchanged after President Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) was reluctant to amend the bill without Sweeney’s approval.
Critics point to far more pressing issues, such as a small budget for the Jersey Fresh program, which only receives $ 150,000 from the state to promote locally grown fruits and vegetables, as well as cheeses, breads, meats and seafood.
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