HOUSE BILL No. 4570


     April 8, 1997, Introduced by Rep. Varga and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Affairs.


        A bill to amend 1955 PA 211, entitled

   "An act to define butter; to provide for grades of butter; to
   provide for grade labeling of butter; to provide for grading of
   butter by licensed graders; and to provide penalties for viola-
   tions of the provisions of this act,"

   by amending the title and sections 1 and 2 (MCL 288.211 and

   288.212).

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 1                                  TITLE

 2         An act to define butter; to provide for grades of butter; to

 3    provide for grade labeling of butter; to provide for grading of

 4    butter by licensed graders; TO PROVIDE FOR DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN

 5    FACTS; and to provide penalties for violations of the provisions

 6    of this act.

 7         Sec. 1.  The provisions of this  THIS act  shall apply 

 8    APPLIES to products defined in  the  THIS act and the purpose of



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 1     the  THIS act is to require grades AND OTHER INFORMATION on

 2    certain butter offered for sale to the consuming public by

 3    retailers in this state and to make unlawful the sale of such

 4    butter without the required label.  For the purpose of this act

 5     the following definition shall apply  AS USED IN THIS ACT:

 6         (A) "Butter"  is  MEANS the product usually known as butter,

 7     and which is  made exclusively from milk or cream, or both, with

 8    or without common salt  , and with  or  without  additional col-

 9    oring matter, and  contains  CONTAINING not less than 80% by

10    weight of milk fat.

11         (B) "PERSON" MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL, FIRM, PARTNERSHIP, ASSOCI-

12    ATION, CORPORATION, OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY.

13         (C) "RBST" MEANS RECOMBINANT BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN, A RECOMBI-

14    NANT BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE USED WITH A LACTATING DAIRY COW TO

15    INCREASE MILK PRODUCTION.

16         Sec. 2.  (1)  No  A person  , firm, association or

17     corporation  shall  sell  NOT DO THE FOLLOWING:

18         (A) SELL, offer for sale,  or  expose for sale, or  have in

19     possession  POSSESS with intent to sell,  any  butter that does

20    not conform to the definition  as given in this act or shall

21     sell  OF BUTTER SET FORTH IN SECTION 1.

22         (B) SELL to  the  A consumer  any  butter that has not been

23    graded and labeled as required by this act.  All 

24         (C) OFFER FOR SALE butter  grading below 90 score shall be 

25    GRADED AS PROVIDED IN THIS ACT THAT HAS A SCORE OF LESS THAN 90,

26    UNLESS THE BUTTER IS clearly labeled "undergrade" before  being 

27    IT IS offered for sale.



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 1         (2) A PERSON WHO SELLS, OFFERS FOR SALE, EXPOSES FOR SALE,

 2    OR POSSESSES WITH INTENT TO SELL BUTTER CONTAINING MILK, CREAM,

 3    OR A MILK PRODUCT DERIVED FROM A COW NOT TREATED WITH RBST MAY

 4    LABEL THAT BUTTER WITH A CONSPICUOUS NOTICE IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE

 5    FOLLOWING FORM:

 6         "THIS PRODUCT WAS DERIVED FROM COWS NOT TREATED WITH RBST.

 7    RBST IS RECOMBINANT BOVINE SOMATOTROPIN, A RECOMBINANT BOVINE

 8    GROWTH HORMONE USED WITH LACTATING DAIRY COWS TO INCREASE MILK

 9    PRODUCTION.  NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE HAS BEEN SHOWN BETWEEN

10    MILK DERIVED FROM RBST-TREATED AND NON-RBST-TREATED COWS.".




































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