STAND. COM. REP. NO.  60

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2021

 

RE:   H.B. No. 461

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.B. No. 461 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COFFEE LABELING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to protect Hawaii's coffee industry by:

 

     (1)  Expanding the coffee labeling and advertising requirements to include ready-to-drink coffee beverages and inner wrapping labels given to customers;

 

     (2)  Requiring disclosure on the label of coffee blends of the respective geographic and regional origins and percent by weight of the blended coffees;

 

     (3)  Making it a violation of the coffee labeling law to use a geographic origin in labeling or advertising for roasted coffee, instant coffee, or ready to drink coffee beverages that contain less than a certain percentage of coffee by weight from that geographic origin, phased in to a minimum of fifty-one percent; and

 

     (4)  Prohibiting use of the term "All Hawaiian" in labeling or advertising for roasted coffee, instant coffee, or ready to drink coffee beverages not produced entirely from green coffee beans grown and processed in Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Kona Coffee Farmers Association, Lions Gate Farms, Monk's Delight Kona Coffee, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Kona Perfect, Absolute Palate LLC, Konaloha Farms, Rancho Aloha, Cassandra Farms, and eight individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Food Industry Association; Hawaii Coffee Company; Maui Coffee Association; Hawaii Teamsters & Allied Workers, Local 996; and 7-Eleven Hawaii.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture and Hawaii Coffee Association.

 

     Your Committee finds that it is important for the State to balance the protection of its distinctive, premium brand of coffee while with the need to maintain the affordability of and consumer access to Hawaii-grown coffee.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting all references to "ready-to-drink coffee beverages";

 

     (2)  Removing the requirement that coffees not grown in Hawaii must be labeled with the regional origins of the various foreign-grown coffees;

 

     (3)  Removing the graduated requirement under the coffee labeling law that Hawaii-grown coffee must eventually comprise at least fifty-one percent by weight of roasted coffee or coffee beverages in order to be identified as such in any labeling or advertising;

 

     (4)  Making unspecified the percentage of coffee by weight  that a package of roasted or instant coffee must contain for geographic-origin labeling, trademark, and geographic-origin trademark purposes;

 

     (5)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 461, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 461, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Economic Development.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

MARK J. HASHEM, Chair