Section 2-21-4. Packaging and labeling; registration required

   (a) No person may use the words "certified organic by" in the identification, advertising, promotion, packaging, or labeling of a food or feed ingredient, article, commodity, or product unless that ingredient, article, commodity, or product complies with the requirements of Code Section 2-21-3 and unless the producer, distributor, or processor has a certification in good standing from the department.

(b) No person who produces, processes, distributes, or handles an advertised, promoted, identified, tagged, stamped, packaged, or labeled organic food or feed ingredient, article, commodity, or product may substitute or commingle any ingredient, article, commodity, or product which does not comply with Code Section 2-21-3.

(c) Any fresh, wholesale or retail organic food or feed ingredient, article, commodity, or product shall be tagged, stamped, labeled, crated, bagged, packaged, or be in any other standardized form which complies with state and federal regulations pertaining to inspection, identity, contents, weight, measure, and grade.

(d) Any food or feed ingredient, article, commodity, or product labeled as organic must be certified by the department or a department approved certifying entity as meeting the requirements of this chapter prior to being sold in the State of Georgia after July 1, 2000.

(e) On and after January 1, 2003, no person shall produce, process, distribute, or handle in this state any advertised, promoted, identified, tagged, stamped, packaged, or labeled organic food or feed ingredient, article, commodity, or product unless such person has first registered with the department; provided, however, that retail food sales establishments licensed under Article 2 of this chapter that do not process or repackage certified organic commodities shall be exempt from registration provisions set forth in this chapter. On and after January 1, 2003, no organization, business, firm, or individual shall act as a certifying entity in this state unless such organization, business, firm, or individual has first registered with the department. The Commissioner shall establish by regulation registration standards for producers, processors, distributors, handlers, and certifying entities not inconsistent with this chapter. Registration shall be made upon forms prescribed and furnished by the department. Registrations shall expire on the last day of December of the year for which they are issued. The Commissioner shall establish by rule a registration fee for certifying entities in an amount of not less than $75.00 nor more than $1,000.00 per annum and may establish classes of certifying entities with different registration fees for each class. Any fees collected pursuant to this Code section shall be retained pursuant to the provisions of Code Section 45-12-92.1.

Code 1981, § 2-21-4, enacted by Ga. L. 2000, p. 1648, § 1; Ga. L. 2002, p. 1295, § 1; Ga. L. 2010, p. 9, § 1-14/HB 1055.