Assembly Bill A11325

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11325
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 11, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Stirpe) --
   read once and referred  to  the  Committee  on  Consumer  Affairs  and
   Protection
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend the general business law, in relation to enacting the
   "honesty in cut meat act"
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Short  title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "honesty in cut meat act".
   § 2. Legislative findings. The legislature finds and declares that:
   1. It is the policy of the state of New York to promote fresh  quality
 meat  products  in  grocery  stores and to allow customers the chance of
 making an informed decision between meat that  is  freshly  cut  in  the
 store  by  experienced,  knowledgeable  butchers and meat which has been
 pre-cut and pre-packaged by external processors or  distributors.  Addi-
 tionally,  accurate disclosure of nutritious, fresh cut meat can help to
 encourage the consumption of such products in a  manner  that  helps  to
 promote  the  state's  meat  industries  and  increase employment in the
 communities served by a grocery store.
   2. The state of New York further  finds  that  in-store  meat  cutters
 represent a skilled workforce earning good wages and a family-sustaining
 livelihood.  The  presence  of  this  skilled  workforce  in New York is
 declining with shifts by grocery stores  towards  pre-cut,  pre-packaged
 meat.  As  this  continues  it exacerbates connected issues of job loss,
 affordability, and community sustainment. Experienced meat  cutters  are
 often  among  the highest paid positions in a grocery store and removing
 these positions in favor of meat which has been trucked in from external
 processors or distributors simultaneously removes a good paying job from
 New York's communities.
   § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section  350-
 b-2 to read as follows:
   §  350-B-2.  DISCLOSURES  REQUIRED  IN  CUT  MEAT  OFFERED FOR SALE IN
 GROCERY STORES. 1. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS
 SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD15624-01-6
 A. 11325                            2
 
   (A) "GROCERY STORE" SHALL HAVE  THE  SAME  MEANING  AS  SUCH  TERM  IS
 DEFINED BY SECTION THREE OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW.
   (B)  "MEAT"  MEANS  ALL RAW BEEF, CHICKEN, TURKEY AND PORK OFFERED FOR
 SALE IN A GROCERY STORE LARGER THAN TEN THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.
   (C) "PRE-CUT, PRE-PACKAGED MEAT" MEANS MEAT  THAT  HAS  BEEN  CUT  AND
 PACKAGED BY AN EXTERNAL PROCESSOR BEFORE ARRIVING TO THE GROCERY STORE.
   (D)  "SIGNAGE"  MEANS A STICKER, STAMP, SIGN, NOTICE, PLACARD, POST OR
 TAG.
   (E) "STORE-CUT MEAT" MEANS FRESH CUTS OF MEAT PORTIONED  AND  PACKAGED
 BY GROCERY STORE EMPLOYEES ON-SITE.
   2.  GROCERY  STORES,  WITHIN THEIR MEAT AND BUTCHER DEPARTMENTS, SHALL
 DISPLAY SIGNAGE THAT DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN STORE-CUT  MEAT  OR  PRE-CUT,
 PRE-PACKAGED  MEAT.  SUCH  SIGNAGE SHALL: (A) BE AFFIXED TO THE SHELF OR
 CASE UPON WHICH OR IN WHICH THE MEAT  IS  DISPLAYED  TO  CUSTOMERS;  (B)
 INCLUDE THE DATE ON WHICH THE STORE-CUT MEAT WAS CUT, AS APPLICABLE; AND
 (C)  INCLUDE  A DISCLOSURE OF WHETHER THE MEAT IS STORE-CUT MEAT OR PRE-
 CUT, PRE-PACKAGED MEAT.
   3. IN ADDITION TO ANY CIVIL  PENALTY  AVAILABLE  UNDER  SECTION  THREE
 HUNDRED FIFTY-D OF THIS ARTICLE:
   (A)  WHENEVER  THERE  SHALL  BE  A  VIOLATION  OF  ANY PORTION OF THIS
 SECTION, AN APPLICATION MAY BE MADE BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN THE  NAME
 OF  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  STATE OF NEW YORK TO A COURT OR JUSTICE HAVING
 JURISDICTION TO ISSUE AN INJUNCTION  AGAINST  THE  RESPONDENT  AND  UPON
 NOTICE  TO  SUCH  RESPONDENT  OF NOT LESS THAN THREE DAYS, TO ENJOIN AND
 RESTRAIN THE CONTINUANCE OF SUCH VIOLATIONS; AND IF IT SHALL  APPEAR  TO
 THE  SATISFACTION  OF  THE  COURT OR JUSTICE THAT THE RESPONDENT HAS, IN
 FACT, VIOLATED ANY PORTION, AN INJUNCTION MAY BE ISSUED BY SUCH COURT OR
 JUSTICE,  ENJOINING  AND  RESTRAINING  ANY  FURTHER  VIOLATION,  WITHOUT
 REQUIRING  PROOF  THAT  ANY PERSON HAS, IN FACT, BEEN INJURED OR DAMAGED
 THEREBY.
   (B) WHENEVER THE COURT SHALL DETERMINE THAT  ANY  INDIVIDUAL,  GROCERY
 STORE,  PARTNERSHIP,  CORPORATION,  ASSOCIATION OR FIRM HAS VIOLATED THE
 PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION, THE COURT MAY IMPOSE A CIVIL PENALTY OF  NOT
 MORE  THAN  TWO  THOUSAND  FIVE  HUNDRED  DOLLARS FOR EACH VIOLATION. IN
 CONNECTION WITH ANY SUCH APPLICATION, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IS AUTHORIZED
 TO TAKE PROOF AND MAKE A DETERMINATION OF  THE  RELEVANT  FACTS  AND  TO
 ISSUE SUBPOENAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CIVIL PRACTICE LAW AND RULES.
   (C)  IN  ADDITION  TO ANY OTHER REMEDIES PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, ANY
 PERSON AGGRIEVED BY A VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION  SHALL  BE  ENTITLED  TO
 BRING  A  PRIVATE  RIGHT  OF ACTION IN A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION
 AGAINST ANY INDIVIDUAL, GROCERY STORE, PARTNERSHIP, CORPORATION, ASSOCI-
 ATION OR FIRM IN VIOLATION OF THIS  SECTION.  NOTHING  IN  THIS  SECTION
 SHALL  IN ANY WAY LIMIT RIGHTS OR REMEDIES WHICH ARE OTHERWISE AVAILABLE
 UNDER LAW TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR  ANY  OTHER  PERSON  AUTHORIZED  TO
 BRING AN ACTION UNDER THIS SECTION.
   §  4.  This  act  shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate its
 purposes. If a court declares any provision or application of  this  act
 to  be  illegal, the remaining provisions shall remain in effect. Courts
 are hereby authorized to interpret the  provisions  of  this  act  in  a
 manner that preserves the maximum lawful effect thereof.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.