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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0023.009 2006-2008 Good morning. My name is Patricia Stolfa. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of Council Resolution~8•a~egarding the labeling of Kona Coffee. I am the Chairman of Hawaii County Democrats in legislative District 6. I am here because during the 2006 pre-election cycle, District 6 Democrats developed and introduced a resolution that was considered and approved by the Hawaii County Democratic Party at its 2006 Convention. The resolution called for "accurate labeling of Hawaii agricultural products", and that resolution is fully consistent with the proposed County Council resolution that is before you today. Our "accurate labeling resolution" was considered by an island-wide Resolutions Committee; it was recommended favorably by that committee, and approved by the 100 delegates from across Hawaii County who were the elected delegates to our Hawaii County Democratic Party Convention.. Subsequently, the Resolution was forwarded to the State Democratic Party for consideration at the State Convention in 2006. The Resolution was approved by delegates attending that convention. Comm. No. I~ .7. Ref. To: Pre~~ahd Ref. Uate DEC 2 0 2006 For your information, I am providing copies of the pertinent Resolutions passed by the County and its counterpart passed by the Democratic Party of Hawaii.. It is entirely appropriate that Democrats should seek to change the status quo with regard to these Hawaii agriculture products. Democrats have long supported diversified agriculture, particularly that practiced by small family farmers like those who produce Kona coffee. Democrats also champion laws that protect consumers from unfair market practices such as misleading labels on food products. Council Resolutionf~~a~'addresses these issues in a manner that is fair, open and fully consistent with Federal food labeling standards. We commend your work on this issue, and plan to support it with our state legislators. Resolution Number: 06.02 RESOLUTION CALLING POR ACCURATE LABELING OF HAWAII AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS WHEREAS specialty agricu?dual crops such as coffee, tropical fruit, macadamia nuts, chocolate end vanilla constitute the fastest expanding area of agriculturel production on the Big Island and in the rest of the state; and WHEREAS the care. skill and cultivation practices of Hawei`i specialty crop farmers, moat of whom operate smell family-owned farms, have built a reputation for quality among consumers of specialty agricultnal products; and W1iEREAS loopholes in certain Hawaii statutes allow unfair and docop6ve business practices which are used to deceive oonsumers into baliaviug non- Hawaii egricuhure products have been grown in Hawaii-to the damage of the tgmtation for quality of Hawaii -grown specialty crops; and WHEREAS, by wsy of example, HRS 486-119 permits the deceptive labeling of foreign-grown maoadamia nuts and non- Hawai`imm fruit juices ae "Made In Hawaii" if 51%or more of the value 1s added by in-state procxseing--even though none of the food products have been grown here; and WHEREAS, by way of further example, HRS 486.120.6 permits the use.of the "Kona" name on packaging of a "coffee bland" having ffi little as 10%c0ffae from Kona and 90%colTeo from unidentified foreign countries; and WHEREAS, by way of still further axamplq in their Dacarrber 2004 edition the wrhers of Consumer Reports conthsod "Kona coffee blatds" with "Kona coffee" end concluded that Kmta coffee can be "second rate" oo the basis of a mistaken belief that "Kona bleeds" are "Kona coffee"; and WHEREAS the State of Hawaii should provide the same type of protections to its specialty camp farmers as the State of California has provided to Napa Valley grape growers in Cal. Bus. 8c Prof. Coda, Section 25241 ("Napa Truth-in-Labeling Law"); THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Hawaii County I)amocrets urge our state legislature m amatd HRS 486-119 and HRS 48b120.6 to prevent this deceptive misuse of the identity of Hawaii specialty agricultural products sad to proved the resulting damage to the reputation of Hawaii-grown agricutturel products from continuing. Hawaii County Democratic Convenrion • May 6, 2006 • for more information visit www.hawaucountydemocrata,org 3 37. REQUE5TTNG THE HAWAI°I STATE LEGISLATURE TO AMEND EXISTING STATUTES TO ENSURE ACCURATE LABELING OF I3AWAI`I AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS WHEREAS, specialty agricultural crops such as coffee, tropical fruit, macadamia nuts, chocolate and vanilla constitute the fastest expanding azea of agricultural production on the Big Island and in the rest of the state; and WHEREAS, the care, skill and cultivation practices of Hawaii specialty crop farmers, most of whom operate small family-owned farms, have built a reputation for quality among consumers of specialty agricultural products; and WHEREAS, loopholes in certain Hawaii statutes allow unfair and deceptive business practices which are used to deceive consumers into believing non- Hawaii agriculture products have.been, grown in Hawaii--to the damage of the reputation for quality of Hawaii -grown specialty crops; and WHEREAS, by way of example, HRS 486-119 permits the deceptive labeling of foreign-grown macadamia nuts and non- Hawaiian fruit juices as "Made In Hawaii" if 51% or more of the value is added by instate processing--even though none of the food products have been grown here; and WHEREAS, by way of fiirther example, HRS 486-120.6 permits the use of the "Kona" name on packaging of a "coffee blend" ktaving as little as 10°Jo coffee from Kana and 90°Jo coffee from tmidentified foreign countries; and WHEREAS, by way of still further example, in their December 2004 edition the writers of Consumer Reports confused "Kona coffee blends" with "Kona coffee" and concluded that bona coffee can be "second rate" on the basis of a mistaken belief that "Kona blends" are "Kona coffee"; and WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii should provide the same type of protections to its specialty crop farmers as the State of California has provided to Napa Valley grape growers in Cal. Bus. ~ Prof. Code, Section 25241("Napa Tnrth-in-Labeling Law"); now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Hawaii urges our state legislators to amend HRS 486-119 and HRS 486-120.6 to prevent this deceptive misuse and ensure proper identification of the identity of Hawaii specialty agricultural products and to prevent the resulting damage to the reputation of Hawaii-grown agricultural products from continuing; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the democratic members of the Hawaii State Legislature, and to all dernocratic candidates for Hawaii State legislature, Governor, and Lieutenant Governor.