H-3488.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2710

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By Representatives Van Luven, Veloria, Esser, Tokuda, Santos, Cooper, Morell and Nixon

Read first time 01/24/2002.  Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

Applying the consumer protection act to the sale of halal food products.

    AN ACT Relating to the halal food consumer protection act; adding a new chapter to Title 69 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

    (1) "Dealer" means any person that advertises, represents, or holds itself out as selling, preparing, or maintaining food as halal including, but not limited to, manufacturers, slaughterhouses, wholesalers, stores, restaurants, hotels, catering facilities, butcher shops, summer camps, bakeries, delicatessens, supermarkets, grocery stores, nursing homes, freezer dealers, and food plan companies.

    (2) "Food product" includes any article other than drugs, whether in raw or prepared form, liquid or solid, or packaged or unpackaged, and which is used for human consumption.

    (3) "Halal" means a food product which has been prepared, processed, manufactured, maintained, and sold in strict compliance with the laws and customs of the Islamic religion.

    (4) "Person" includes individuals, partnerships, corporations, and associations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  (1) No dealer may knowingly sell or offer for sale any food product represented as "halal" or "halal style" when that dealer knows that the food product is not halal and when the representation is likely to cause a prospective purchaser to believe that it is halal.  This representation can be made orally or in writing, or by display of a sign, mark, insignia, or simulation.

    (2) A dealer that sells "halal" or "halal style" food products, where this food product represents more than fifty percent of the person's sales, must maintain and make available, upon request, a written copy of ingredients and processes used in the preparation of these food products.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A violation of this chapter constitutes a violation of the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  A dealer who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  This chapter may be known and cited as the halal food consumer protection act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.  Sections 1 through 5 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 69 RCW.

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