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| Georgia General Assembly |
HB82.html
House Bill
82
By: Representative Rice of the 79th
A BILL TO BE
ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of
Georgia Annotated, relating to standards, labeling, and adulteration of food, so
as to regulate the preparation, marketing, sale, and serving of Halal foods; to
provide punishment for violations; to define certain terms; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to standards, labeling, and adulteration of food, is amended
by inserting a new Article 11A to read as follows:
"ARTICLE
11A
26-2-340.
As used in this
article, the term:
(1) 'Food' means any meat, meat
preparation, articles of food, or food products, either raw or prepared for
human consumption, and whether to be consumed on the premises where prepared or
sold or whether to be taken elsewhere for consumption.
(2) 'Halal food' means food or drink which is
permitted for Muslims under Islamic dietary laws.
(3)
'Person' means any hotel, inn, grocery, butcher shop, restaurant keeper, or any
individual, firm, or corporation operating a boarding house, eating house,
lunchroom business, or catering business.
26-2-341.
(a) No person,
with intent to defraud, shall sell, prepare, or expose for sale food which such
person falsely represents to be Halal food.
(b) No
person shall falsely represent any food or the contents of any package or
container to be Halal by having or permitting to be inscribed on it, in any
language, the word 'Halal.'
(c) Nothing contained in
this Code section shall prohibit the use of the words 'Halal type' or 'Halal
style food' in advertising.
26-2-342.
No person, with
intent to defraud, shall display any signs around his or her place of business
or place any advertisements in any newspaper, magazine, periodical, or other
publication, which signs or advertisements falsely represent non-Halal food
sold, prepared, or offered for sale to be Halal food.
26-2-343.
No person
preparing or serving food shall prepare, sell, serve, or prepare for sale,
either to be consumed on the premises or elsewhere, Halal and non-Halal food in
the same place of business, unless such person:
(1)
Keeps separate kitchens where the food is prepared;
(2) Keeps and uses separate and distinctly labeled or
marked dishes and utensils in and with which the food is prepared and served;
and
(3) Indicates on all signs and similar display
advertising in, on, or about such
person´s
premises, in block letters at least four inches in height, 'Halal and non-Halal
food prepared or served here.'
26-2-344.
Possession of
non-Halal food in any place of business advertising that the only food sold or
offered for sale therein is Halal food shall be prima-facie evidence of intent
to defraud under Code Section 26-2-341 or 26-2-342.
26-2-345.
Any person who
violates any provision of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and,
upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $25.00 nor
more than $500.00, or by imprisonment for not less than 30 days nor more than
six months, or
both."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are
repealed.