SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4707

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 31, 2019

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 4707.

      As amended by the committee, this bill would require the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, to create a public awareness campaign to educate the general public on food waste prevention by raising awareness regarding:  strategies to reduce wasteful shopping which may include the benefits of creating a shopping list; the benefits of freezing meat close to the expiration date; and the meaning of date label definitions such as “use by,” “sell by,” and “best buy.”

      The department would be required to encourage the reduction of food waste through donating or composting leftover food and to develop and distribute appropriate informational materials regarding food waste, which may include, but need not be limited to, the use of social media, television, radio, or print media.

      As reported by the committee with amendments, Assembly Bill No. 4707 is identical to Senate Bill No. 3231(1R) which was also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amended the bill to make a grammatical correction by replacing the term “labels” with the term “label.”