"NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   INTENT. The legislature finds that Washington consumers have a right to accurate, accessible information that will assist them in making educated food purchases. The legislature finds that consumers have an interest in knowing the benefits and potential risks to their health from the products they consume. The legislature finds that consumers value knowing when and where food has been packaged and when technologies or production methods, such as organic farming, have been applied to the foods that are offered for retail sale. The legislature therefore intends to explore opportunities for food labeling to increase disclosure of food information to consumers through labeling of perishable food products.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   DEFINITIONS. The definitions in this section apply throughout this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Department" means the department of agriculture.
     (2) "Food irradiation" means the process of exposing food to ionizing radiation in order to disinfest, sanitize, sterilize, or preserve it.
     (3) "Genetically modified foods" means foods altered or produced through manipulation of genes using recombinant DNA techniques.
     (4) "Labeling" means all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter (a) upon any article or any of its containers or wrappers, or (b) accompanying such an article.
     (5) "Modified atmosphere packaging," "reduced-oxygen packaging," "low oxygen packaging," "gas flushing packaging," or "vacuum packaging" means controlling the oxygen content in a package to a level below that normally found in the surrounding atmosphere in order to prolong the shelf life of the food within the package.
     (6) "Organic food" has the definition in RCW 15.86.020.
     (7) "Package" means the immediate container or wrapping in which any food is contained for consumption, use, or storage by consumers, and also means any outer container or wrapping used in the retail display of such a product to consumers.
     (8) "Retail" means selling, offering for sale, or distributing food for dispensing or sale directly to the consumer.
     (9) "Shelf life" means the length of time during which a packaged food product will retain its safe consumption quality if stored under proper temperature conditions.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   (1) The department shall confer and consult with appropriate entities and develop recommendations on the feasibility and implementation of voluntary food labeling requirements as part of food marketing programs. Areas to evaluate include, but are not limited to, voluntary labeling associated with:
     (a) Use of the state seal;
     (b) Grown in Washington label;
     (c) Packing date and location disclosure;
     (d) Meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, and vegetables;
     (e) Irradiated food;
     (f) Genetically modified food;
     (g) Modified atmosphere packaging;
     (h) Other food labeling in the state of Washington;
     (i) Organic food products;
     (j) Quality of product;
     (k) Certification program, standards, and grades;
     (l) An organic foods commission;
     (m) Regulatory authority of the United States food and drug administration, the United States department of agriculture, and the department; and
     (n) Export markets.
     (2) The department shall submit a report on the recommendations developed under subsection (1) of this section to the legislature by December 1, 2007.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   Captions used in this act are not any part of the law."