STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1384-06

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2006

RE: S.B. No. 3049

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 3049, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HONEY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to protect consumers from mislabled and potentially unwholesome honey products by requiring the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to regulate the labeling and advertising of these products. In particular, this bill requires labeling disclosing either:

(1) That the honey is produced in a particular country;

(2) The percentage of the product that is produced in a particular country;

(3) The percentage of the product that is "sweetener" and not "honey"; or

(4) The percentages of the product produced in Hawaii and in other countries.

C & H Farms supported this bill. The Hawaii Beekeepers' Association and a concerned individual supported this measure and suggested amendments. The Department of Agriculture commented on this bill. The Department of Health opposed this measure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Removing the requirements that the label disclose added sweeteners and the country of origin of the honey, and removing prohibitions and definitions related to these requirements;

(2) Requiring honey produced in Hawaii to be labeled according to the portion or percentage of the product produced in Hawaii;

(3) Prohibiting labels or advertising using Hawaii as a geographic origin if less than ten percent of the product is honey from Hawaii;

(4) Making a technical amendment to the definition of "agricultural commodity" in Chapter 147, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to allow DOA to adopt the rules required by this bill;

(5) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3049, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3049, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

 

____________________________

ROBERT N. HERKES, Chair