TRENTON – Only fruits and vegetables grown, harvested and packaged in New Jersey could labeled by food retailers as “local” products, under terms of legislation authored by Senate President Steve Sweeney that was approved by the Senate.

The bill, S-4128, would set the requirement for produce and other agricultural products sold in New Jersey so that consumers would know they are local to the Garden State.

“Our farms grow some of the best fruits and vegetables in the world and consumers know that,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “The Jersey label is a mark of quality and freshness. Produce that is labeled as ‘locally grown, locally harvested or locally sourced’ should mean that it is local to New Jersey. It’s the right thing to do for our farmers and the fair thing to do for consumers.”

The bill, which is supported by the NJ Farm Bureau, would bring clarity to the market by ensuring that only fruits and vegetables grown and harvested in New Jersey are marketed as local to the state.

Currently, there is no standard definition of what constitutes a “local” product. Some retailers have been defining food products that originated from up to 400 miles away as local, meaning they could come from states as far away as Maine, Ohio or even North Carolina.

This labeling also serves as unfair competition to the sales of “Jersey Fresh” agricultural products, which is limited to New Jersey produce, Senator Sweeney noted.

Under the bill, any food retailer that violates the provisions in the legislation would be subject to a penalty of between $100 and $200.

The Senate vote was 26-6.