Sponsored by:
Senator STEVEN V. OROHO
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Senator NILSA CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblyman PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Assemblyman BOB ANDRZEJCZAK
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
Assemblyman HAROLD "HAL" J. WIRTHS
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Singleton, Assemblymen McKeon, Conaway and Assemblywoman DiMaso
SYNOPSIS
Directs Dept. of Agriculture to authorize and advise food hubs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the establishment of food hubs as agricultural cooperatives and supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Agriculture shall authorize the establishment of food hubs in the State, and establish guidelines to assist and support farms and farmers seeking to belong to food hubs in their area of the State. The department, pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt any rules and regulations necessary for the establishment and operation of food hubs.
b. As used in this section, “food hub” means a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local or regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to:
-- authorize the establishment of food hubs in the State;
-- establish guidelines to assist and support farms and farmers seeking to belong to food hubs in their area of the State; and
-- adopt regulations to implement the bill.
The bill defines “food hub” as a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local or regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand.