Bill > HSB623

This Study Bill requires grocery stores in Iowa that participate in federal food programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and offer "specialty eggs" for sale, to also maintain a regular inventory of "conventional eggs" sufficient to meet customer demand. Conventional eggs are defined as standard shell eggs graded AA, A, or B, while specialty eggs include those advertised as cage-free, free-range, or from enriched colony cages. The bill clarifies that grocery stores are not obligated to stock specialty eggs, nor are they required to sell any eggs if they choose not to as part of their normal business, and stores that exclusively sold specialty eggs before January 1, 2018, are exempt from these requirements. Violations of the inventory requirement by a grocery store could result in a civil penalty of up to one hundred dollars per day, though this would not automatically disqualify them from federal programs unless the U.S. Department of Agriculture specifically authorizes it. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Public Health are tasked with establishing rules and potentially seeking waivers from federal regulations to implement and enforce this section.