Tougher rules could be imposed for produce not grown in NJ

New Jersey agriculture officials want to crackdown on labels coining the term "locally grown" for fruits and vegetables that are not grown in the Garden State. 

New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Doug Fisher said some produce sold in the state may have been produced elsewhere and trucked here, in some cases from a great distance, and yet it is still being labeled as "locally grown" at farmer's market and other vendors that sell fruits and vegetables.

Part of the problem, according to Fisher, is the term itself.

"There is no national definition of 'locally grown' and that term is used, in many cases, in a haphazard way. And we're just trying to clearly identify what, 'local' means in the Garden State."

The state Department of Agriculture is proposing a requirement that vegetables, fruits, cheese and milk not from New Jersey and sold as "locally grown" or "locally produced," need to indicate where the product originated from.

According to a published report in NorthJersey.com on May 6, the penalty for misleading the public about products not sold in New Jersey would be $100 for the first offense and $200 for each offense after that.

Board member Marilyn Russo, who operates Russo's Orchard Lane Farm in Chesterfield, said vendors can still use the term "local," it just has to have the origin of the place where the food has come from.

"There's no question that Jersey Fresh is a Jersey product. That's not what the issue is. It's when product comes from somewhere else and is labelled as 'locally grown,' and you don't really know where it comes from," Fisher said.

Russo said the public will have until July 3 to comment on the proposed rule. After that, the proposal and the public comments will be reviewed by the governor, who will decide about moving forward.