2011 California Code
Food and Agricultural Code
DIVISION 17. FRUIT, NUT, AND VEGETABLE STANDARDS [42501 - 48003]
ARTICLE 16. California-Grown Seal
Section 43100

(a) The terms California grown, California-grown, and similar terms with identical connotations shall be used in the labeling or advertising of agricultural products as follows:

(1) The terms California grown, California-grown, and similar terms with identical connotations may be used for marketing, advertising, or promotional purposes, only to identify food or agricultural products that have been produced in the state or harvested in its surface or coastal waters.

(2) The Secretary of Food and Agriculture may adopt guidelines, rules, and regulations to further define acceptable uses of the terms California grown, California-grown, and similar terms with identical connotations, and to prevent any misleading use of the terms.

(b) A fraudulent use of the term California grown or California-grown, or of any seals or other identities officially adopted by the Department of Food and Agriculture in connection with these terms, or a deliberately misleading or unwarranted use of these items or terms, is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more than three thousand dollars ($3,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 535, Sec. 9. Effective January 1, 2003.)