Level Field Proposed bill would help PA dairy farmers
An outdated law that has held Pennsylvania dairy farmers at a disadvantage could soon be changed if a bill in the state legislature is passed this year.
The proposed bill, Senate Bill 1330, would change the “sell by” date that is printed on milk labels in stores.
“When people go to buy milk, one of the first things they look at is the date,” state Sen. Elder Vogel said. “It's important.”
Vogel, R-47th, said the current state law is both too restrictive for in-state farmers and misleading for consumers.
Currently, Pennsylvania law requires that the “sell by” date printed on milk labels is 17 days after the milk was pasteurized.
The proposed bill would change the date printed on labels to the “best by” date and allow farmers to request a date longer than 17 days.
Craig Marburger, vice president of Marburger Dairy in Evans City, said consumers tend to think the “sell by” date printed on the label is when the milk goes bad, leading to waste.
“It would be a more efficient way of using milk. People are getting rid of milk while it's still good,” Marburger said. “If everybody thinks that's the expiration date, why shouldn't it be? If it confuses people, it should be changed.”
Marburger said there are a lot of variables that determine how long milk remains drinkable.
“It does depend on when you open the bottle,” Marburger explained. “If you open it the first day it's put out, it's not going to last until the best by date.”
Vogel, who represents parts of Butler, Beaver and Lawrence counties, was a dairy farmer for 50 years and said passing this bill would help state farmers.“State farmers face competition from Walmart, out-of-state sellers,” Vogel said. “Pennsylvania is at a disadvantage. This is the first to loosen restrictions, so Pennsylvania farmers can level the playing field.”William Thiele, who runs the sixth-generation Thiele Dairy Farm in Cabot, said the bill would be good for both farmers and consumers.“I don't know how many people, the first day they go into the store with this change, will notice it right away,” Thiele said. “It would be a fairer way to see when it does expire ... If it confuses people, it should be changed.”Vogel said the idea for the bill came directly from a recommendation made by the Dairy Future Commission.Gov. Tom Wolf created the Dairy Future Commission in July 2019.In August, the commission published a report containing 54 recommended actions for the state legislature to take over the next five years.Vogel said this change to the “sell by” date was one of the commission's first recommendations and one of the easiest to accomplish.“There's no opposition to it in the capital,” Vogel said. “We're all in favor of it. It's a simple, easy thing to get done to help our local dairies. It's a common sense law.”
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