California Assembly Bill AB682 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 682AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 24, 2013 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ian Calderon  (   Coauthor:   Assembly Member   Rendon   )  FEBRUARY 21, 2013 An act to add Section 11005.8 to the Government Code, and to add Section 10300.1 to the Public Contract Code, relating to public contracts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 682, as amended, Ian Calderon. State procurement: food: plumped poultry. Existing law requires a vendor that operates or maintains a vending machine on designated state property, until a specified date, to offer food and beverages in the vending machine that meet accepted nutritional guidelines, as defined, in accordance with certain percentages. Existing law governing contracting between state agencies and private contractors sets forth requirements for the procurement of supplies, materials, equipment, and services by state agencies and sets forth the various responsibilities of the Department of General Services and other state agencies in overseeing and implementing state contracting procedures and policies. This bill would prohibit chicken or turkey sold in any state-owned or state-leased building at food concessions and cafeterias from being "plumped" in any way, beginning January 1, 2014, or upon expiration of an existing contract. The bill would prohibit the Department of General Services form purchasing "plumped" poultry when letting contracts for the purchase of food to be sold in a state building, as specified. The bill  would  , for purposes of these provisions,  would  define the term "plumped" with respect to poultry, to mean the injection of saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract, or some combination thereof into the poultry, to increase its weight and price. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) More than six million California adults, 23 percent of the state's population, are obese, and an additional 9.3 million adults, 34 percent of the state's population, are overweight, resulting in an estimated $21 billion in health care costs for California in 2006. Therefore, offering healthy and sustainable food options at state workplaces would help increase the consumption of foods that are low in fat, sodium, and sugars, thereby reducing the instances of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other preventable health conditions. (b) The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a guide entitled "Improving the Food Environment Through Nutrition Standards: A Guide for Government Procurement," which finds that states and localities can develop, adopt, and implement food procurement policies in order to model healthier food environments to positively impact government settings, including employee cafeterias, correctional facilities, schools, child care centers, public hospitals, senior centers, and parks. (c) The practice of "plumping" chicken or turkey can increase the sodium content by up to 500 percent. Fresh, natural chicken should have no more than 70mg of sodium per four ounce serving, whereas plumped chicken can contain up to 400mg of sodium. The average household of four people, because of "plumping" chicken or turkey, spends approximately $127 per year on saltwater. SEC. 2. Section 11005.8 is added to the Government Code, to read: 11005.8. (a) Beginning January 1, 2014, or upon expiration of an existing contract, whichever occurs later, chicken or turkey sold in any state-owned or state-leased building at food concessions and cafeterias shall not be "plumped" in any way. (b) For purposes of this section, "plumped" means the injection of saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract, or some combination thereof into chicken or turkey to increase its weight and price. SEC. 3. Section 10300.1 is added to the Public Contract Code, to read: 10300.1. (a) Beginning January 1, 2014, when letting contracts for the purchase of food to be sold in a state-owned  building  or state-leased building for food concessions, cafeterias, or vending operations, the Department of General Services shall not purchase chicken or turkey that has been "plumped" in any way. (b) For purposes of this section, "plumped" means the injection of saltwater, chicken stock, seaweed extract, or some combination thereof into chicken or turkey  ,  to increase its weight and price.