What's happening
This bill prohibits the manufacture and sale of food products containing azodicarbonamide in New York, imposing civil fines for violations.
Why it matters
Addresses health and consumer safety concerns. by banning a chemical (azodicarbonamide) sometimes linked to respiratory issues and classified as a potential carcinogen in other countries, aiming to reduce possible health risks in food.
Impacts food manufacturing and supply chains. in New York by requiring reformulation of products such as breads, baked goods, and other processed foods that currently use azodicarbonamide as a dough conditioner or bleaching agent.
Introduces significant financial penalties. for violations, with escalating civil fines up to $10,000 for repeat offenses, which could pressure both large and small food businesses to rigorously monitor and alter their ingredient sourcing and labeling practices.
Includes a safeguard for businesses. by allowing an affirmative defense if a company can prove it did not know, and could not reasonably have known, that azodicarbonamide was present—potentially reducing liability for inadvertent infractions during supply transitions.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Azodicarbonamide in Food
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
6 Co-sponsors
4 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to agriculture
- Referred to agriculture
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5063
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. O'DONNELL, RICHARDSON, COLTON, BENEDETTO, BLAKE, SANTABARBARA, OTIS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, GLICK, HUNTER, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture
AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to prohibiting the manufacture and sale of food products containing azodicarbonamide
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new section 214-o to read as follows:
§ 214-o. Manufacture and sale of food products containing azodicarbonamide prohibited. 1. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) "azodicarbonamide" shall mean a chemical compound in the form of a yellow to orange red, odorless, crystalline powder which has been assigned the Chemical Abstracts Service registry number 123-77-3 and which is used or intended for use as an aging and bleaching ingredient or as a dough conditioner; and
(b) "food product" shall have the same meaning as defined in subdivision one of section one hundred ninety-eight of this article.
2. No person, firm or corporation shall manufacture, sell, offer, expose or have in possession for sale in this state any food products containing azodicarbonamide.
3. A violation of this section shall be punishable by a civil fine not to exceed one thousand dollars on the first offense and ten thousand dollars on any subsequent offense.
4. It shall be an affirmative defense to a violation of this section that the person, firm or corporation did not know and could not reasonably have known that the food product contained azodicarbonamide.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09472-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.