Report Title:

Safe Food Certification; Pilot Program

 

Description:

Establishes a pilot program within the Department of Agriculture to encourage farmers to form agricultural cooperatives, coordinate purchasing agreements between the agricultural cooperatives and hotels, restaurants, and other buyers in the visitor and hospitality industries, and develop and implement safe food certification for products under the pilot program.  Appropriates funds.  (HB1471 CD1)

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1471

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

H.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1

 

C.D. 1

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

RELATING TO FARMS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that food safety certification is a critical component of food distribution.  Hotels, restaurants, and others in the tourism industry often seek to buy as much local produce as they can, and the demand for food safety certification has increased and is required by visitor industry restaurants.  This requirement has limited the procurement of locally grown produce.

     The purpose of this Act is to expand the access of the visitor and hospitality industry to local produce by establishing a safe food certification pilot program to benefit farmers statewide.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  There is established in the department of agriculture a safe food certification pilot program to benefit farmers throughout the state.

     (b)  The pilot program shall be managed by the department of agriculture; provided that the department of health shall provide the department of agriculture with assistance as necessary in implementing the pilot program.  The pilot program shall:

     (1)  Encourage farmers to form agricultural cooperatives;

     (2)  Coordinate purchasing agreements between the agricultural cooperatives and hotels, restaurants, and other buyers in the visitor and hospitality industries; and

     (3)  Develop and implement "safe" food certification for products under the pilot program to promote fresh, high-quality, locally-grown produce grown by Hawaii farmers.

All farmers operating in the state shall be eligible to apply for the pilot program.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the tourism special fund the sum of $140,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2009-2010 and such sum shall be transferred to the department of agriculture to establish and administer the safe food certification pilot program established in this Act.

     SECTION 4.  There is appropriated from the interdepartmental appropriation transferred from the Hawaii tourism authority the sum of $140,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2009-2010 for the department of agriculture to establish and administer the safe food certification pilot program established in this Act.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2009, and shall be repealed on June 30, 2010.