Agricultural News
Cattlemen Applaud Governor Stitt's Signature on the Oklahoma Meat Consumer Protection Act
Tue, 19 May 2020 14:12:59 CDT
Today, Governor Kevin Stitt signed into law HB 3806, the Oklahoma Meat Consumer Protection Act. This bill was a priority for the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association (OCA) during the 2020 Legislative Session. HB 3806 establishes regulations and standards on packaging and advertising for alternative meat products such as plant-based.
"First we want to thank Representative Hasenbeck and Senator Bergstrom for the leadership on this important issue. We also appreciate Governor Stitt signing the bill into law," said Michael Kelsey, OCA Executive Vice President. "This law will require that companies wanting to sell plant-based products in Oklahoma must use wording type such as vegetarian, imitation or plant-based on the package that is uniform is size and prominence to the name of the product."
OCA brought the bill to the Legislature to establish rules for how plant-based companies can market their products in Oklahoma.
"I am always willing to help our beef producers as they toil to raise a great product for our consumers," commented Representative Hasenbeck. Representative Toni Hasenbeck and her family are beef producers in the Elgin area.
"Clever marketing practices and deceptive labeling on plant-based meat alternatives can be confusing for shoppers looking to purchase meat-based items at the grocery store," Senator Micheal Bergstrom from Adair said. "HB 3806 ensures that clarity and accuracy of labeling meat and plant-based food items, giving consumers peace of mind that they are purchasing exactly what they intended."
OCA worked closely with the Oklahoma Pork Council (OPC) and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) on this important legislation.
"We greatly appreciated the opportunity to work with our friends at the Oklahoma Pork Council on this bill," shared Kelsey.
According to Roy Lee Lindsey, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Pork Council, "The Oklahoma Pork Council appreciates the work of the legislature to approve HB 3806 relating to labeling products as "meat." Common sense tells us that for plants to become "pork" those plants must be fed to a pig. Thank you to Rep. Toni Hasenbeck and Sen. Michael Bergstrom for their leadership on this issue. Also, thank you to the House and Senate for your support of this important legislation."
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