(TB&P) — Companies that produce products with “fake rice” may face a new hurdle in the Natural State. The Arkansas Senate approved HB 1407 Wednesday (March 13) in a 31-3-1 vote. The bill creates a standard of identity for rice and outlaws product labels using the term “rice” outside of a specified definition noted in the language.
The legislation applies only to a person who places a label on an agricultural product. It will therefore not affect grocers unless they label applicable products internally. The Director of the Arkansas Bureau of Standards will be responsible for promulgation of the bill’s implementation as well as administration and enforcement of the law, according to the bill.
Arkansas House members overwhelmingly passed the bill last week in a vote of 87-4. It now heads to Gov. Asa Hutchinson for a signature.
“Let me be clear. This bill has nothing to do with the rice industry and everything to do with protecting consumers who have a right to know what they are purchasing,” Lauren Waldrip Ward, Executive Director of the Arkansas Rice Federation said. “It imposes no undue burden on these companies, but simply requires them to tell the truth.”
To read more about the bill visit our partners at Talk Business & Politics.
