In his State of the State Address, Governor Cuomo laid out plans to bring some clarity to the labels on food packaging.  Terms like "All-Natural" are not legally defined, so any producer can place it on the package.  The end results could be more exports for New York produced goods.

The Governor is asking the Departments of Health and Agriculture to establish definitions for buzz words used on food packaging.  In addition, he'll propose a new, voluntary, labeling program for food producers in New York State who commit to certain quality standards.

The governor described the program as designed to address confusion in the market about poorly defined labels such as "all-natural", and to highlight the quality and safety of New York food products.

To be part of the program, you'll have to agree to inspections of your farm for certification of the standards that will be established.  Upon passing inspection, you can add a "New York State Certified High Quality" seal on food labels.

The state budget will include $2 million to help producers meet the new standards when they are established. In the end, the labeling program should assist the state in promoting New York products nationwide and create export opportunities for state grown products. Get more details on the plan, in an article written by Mike McAndrew at Syracuse.com
SOURCE: Cornell Cooperative Extension & Syracuse.com

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