HOUSE BILL REPORT

SB 5916

As Amended by the House

BYSenators Barr, Newhouse, Hansen, Madsen, Bailey, Anderson and Gaspard

Revising provisions on labeling meat.

House Committe on Agriculture & Rural Development

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (9)

      Signed by Representatives Rayburn, Chair; Kremen, Vice Chair; Nealey, Ranking Republican Member; Chandler, Doty, Jesernig, H. Myers; Rasmussen and Youngsman.

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (786-7105)

AS PASSED HOUSE APRIL 14, 1989

BACKGROUND:

One of the purposes of the Washington Meat Inspection Act is to promote uniformity between state and federal laws and rules regarding the inspection of meat.  The act does not limit the authority of any governmental unit to license or inspect meat or carcasses or the distribution facilities and equipment of retail meat distributors.

SUMMARY:

A licensed meat dealer is not prohibited by the Washington Meat Inspection Act from displaying on the label of meat the identity information from the label of the larger unit of the meat from which the meat came.  This rule applies if the larger unit of meat was inspected and packaged under federal inspection and the dealer merely grinds, or further grinds the meat into smaller units without adding ingredients or mixing types of meat.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Dick Ducharme, Iowa Beef Processors; and Marlyta Deck, Washington Cattlemen's Associations.

House Committee - Testified Against:      E. F. "Ted" Baker, James Thompson, and Ron Trebon, Seattle-King County Health Department.

House Committee - Testimony For:    (1) The bill will permit more information concerning ground beef to be placed on the label for consumers.  This practice is permitted in 47 other states.  (2) The main safeguard consumers have against deceptive practices is the stake that suppliers and retailers have in their reputations.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      (1) The bill will jeopardize the labeling requirements of Seattle-King County which are considered nationally to be a model for consumer protection.  (2) The U.S. Department of Agriculture approves almost all packers' requests to give new names to the packages of meat they pack and label.  As a result, the same cut of meat could, under the bill, have several different names.  This will confuse consumers, reduce their ability to compare prices, and permit them to be charged more based upon misleading names.