(a) The Legislature hereby creates the Food Biotechnology Task Force. The task force shall be cochaired by the Secretary of California Health and Human Services, and the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The task force shall consult with appropriate state agencies and the University of California. The Department of Food and Agriculture shall be the lead agency.
(b) An advisory committee shall be appointed by the task force to provide input on issues reviewed by the task force. The advisory committee shall consist of representatives from consumer groups, environmental organizations, farmers, ranchers, representatives from the biotechnology industry, researchers, organic farmers, food processors, retailers, and others with interests in the issues surrounding biotechnology.
(c) The Department of Food and Agriculture shall make funds available to other agencies to accomplish the purposes of this article and shall contract, where appropriate, with the California Council on Science and Technology, the University of California, or other entities to review issues evaluated by the task force or support activities of the advisory committee.
(d) The task force may request particular agencies to lead the effort to evaluate various factors related to food biotechnology. As funding becomes available, the task force shall evaluate factors including all of the following:
(1) Definition and categorization of food biotechnology and production processes.
(2) Scientific literature on the subject, and a characterization of information resources readily available to consumers.
(3) Issues related to domestic and international marketing of biotechnology foods such as the handling, processing, manufacturing, distribution, labeling, and marketing of these products.
(4) Potential benefits and impacts to human health, the state’s economy, and the environment accruing from food biotechnology.
(5) Existing federal and state evaluation and oversight procedures.
(e) An initial sum of one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($125,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund for disbursement to the Department of Food and Agriculture. It is the intent of the Legislature to make further funds available to accomplish the purposes contained in this article.
(Amended by Stats. 2011, Ch. 97, Sec. 2. (AB 222) Effective January 1, 2012.)