SB 203

  • California Senate Bill
  • 2015-2016 Regular Session
  • Introduced in Senate Feb 11, 2015
  • Senate
  • Assembly
  • Governor

Sugar-sweetened beverages: safety warnings.

Abstract

(1) Existing federal law, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, regulates, among other things, the quality and packaging of foods introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce and generally prohibits the misbranding of food. Existing federal law, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, governs state and local labeling requirements, including those that characterize the relationship of any nutrient specified in the labeling of food to a disease or health-related condition. Existing state law, the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law, generally regulates misbranded food and provides that any food is misbranded if its labeling does not conform with the requirements for nutrient content or health claims as set forth in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the regulations adopted pursuant to that federal act. Existing law requires that a food facility, as defined, make prescribed disclosures and warnings to consumers, as specified. A violation of these provisions is a crime. Existing state law, the Pupil Nutrition, Health, and Achievement Act of 2001, also requires the sale of only certain beverages to pupils at schools. The beverages that may be sold include fruit-based and vegetable-based drinks, drinking water with no added sweetener, milk, and in middle and high schools, an electrolyte replacement beverage if those beverages meet certain nutritional requirements. This bill would establish the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act, which would prohibit a person from distributing, selling, or offering for sale a sugar-sweetened beverage in a sealed beverage container, or a multipack of sugar-sweetened beverages, in this state unless the beverage container or multipack bears a safety warning, as prescribed. The bill also would require every person who owns, leases, or otherwise legally controls the premises where a vending machine or beverage dispensing machine is located, or where a sugar-sweetened beverage is sold in an unsealed container to place a specified safety warning in certain locations, including on the exterior of any vending machine that includes a sugar-sweetened beverage for sale. (2) Under existing law, the State Department of Public Health, upon the request of a health officer, as defined, may authorize the local health department of a city, county, city and county, or local health district to enforce the provisions of the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Public Health to assess a civil penalty against any person in an amount not to exceed $1,000 per day, except as specified. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General or any district attorney, on behalf of the State Department of Public Health, to bring an action in a superior court to grant a temporary or permanent injunction restraining a person from violating any provision of the Sherman Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Law. This bill, commencing July 1, 2016, would provide that any violation of the provisions described in (1) above, or regulations adopted pursuant to those provisions, is punishable by a civil penalty of not less than $50, but no greater than $500. This bill would also create the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Fund for the receipt of all moneys collected for violations of those provisions. The bill would allocate moneys in this fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the department for the purpose of enforcing those provisions. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations relating to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, obesity, and dental disease.

Bill Sponsors (10)

Votes


Actions


Feb 01, 2016

Senate

Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

Apr 30, 2015

Senate

April 29 set for second hearing. Failed passage in committee. (Ayes 4. Noes 1. Page 860.) Reconsideration granted.

Apr 22, 2015

Senate

Set for hearing April 29.

Apr 21, 2015

Senate

April 22 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.

Apr 06, 2015

Senate

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
  • Reading-2
  • Amendment-Passage
  • Committee-Passage
  • Reading-1
Com. on HEALTH.

Mar 18, 2015

Senate

Set for hearing April 22.

Feb 19, 2015

Senate

Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on HEALTH.

Feb 12, 2015

Senate

From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 14.

Feb 11, 2015

Senate

Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Bill Text

Bill Text Versions Format
SB203 HTML
02/11/15 - Introduced PDF
04/06/15 - Amended Senate PDF

Related Documents

Document Format
No related documents.

Sources

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