Senate committee advances bill to define 'organic,' 'grass‑fed' and other food labels

At a meeting of the Georgia Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, members voted unanimously to advance a consumer‑protection bill that seeks statutory definitions and testing authority for food labels such as “organic,” “grass‑fed” and “pasture‑raised.”

The bill sponsor told the committee the measure aims to increase transparency and fairness in food labeling by defining common marketing terms and giving regulators tools to verify claims, particularly where product supply is large-scale or imported. The sponsor also said the measure is intended as a starting point for further refinement over the summer.

Committee members focused on three practical questions: how the bill would define large commercial producers, how verification and testing would work, and how…