Senate Bill No. 200

(By Senators Snyder and Fanning)

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[Introduced January 22, 2003; referred to the Committee on Health and Human Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

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A BILL to amend article seven, chapter sixteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section twelve, relating to requiring that restaurants post notices concerning the presence of certain antioxidants in food that is offered for consumption by the public; providing for enforcement by local health departments; and establishing penalties for noncompliance.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article seven, chapter sixteen of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section twelve, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 7. PURE FOOD AND DRUGS.
§16-7-12. Requiring notice of the presence of certain antioxidants.

(a) Any person who sells or offers for sale food intended for human consumption shall provide notice to customers of the presence in the food of the following antioxidants:
(1) Calcium chloride;
(2) Citric acid;
(3) Erythorbic acid;
(4) Monocalcium phosphate; and
(5) Tricalcium phosphate.
(b) The notice required by subsection (a) of this section shall be provided on twelve inch square signs in a conspicuous locations on the premises and at the bottom of menus in type no smaller than twelve point.
(c) The several local boards of health, established pursuant to the provision of article two of this chapter, shall enforce the provision of this section.
(d) Any person found to have violated the provisions of this section is subject for a first offense to a fine of one hundred dollars. Any person found to have violated the provisions of this section for a second or subsequent time is subject to a fine of five hundred dollars and revocation of license to operate a food establishment.



NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require restaurants, etc. to post notices about the presence of certain antioxidants in the food that is offered there for sale.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.