Section 61802 Of Article 1. Legislative Declarations From California Food And Agricultural Code >> Division 21. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 1.
61802
. The Legislature hereby declares all of the following:
(a) Market milk is a necessary article of food for human
consumption.
(b) The production and maintenance of an adequate supply of
healthful market milk of proper chemical and physical content, free
from contamination, is vital to the public health and welfare, and
the production, transportation, processing, and storage of market
milk in this state is an industry affecting the public health.
(c) Because of the perishable quality of milk, the nature of milk
production, the varying seasonal production and demand factors, and
other economic factors affecting the milk industry, the potential
exists for economic disruption, in the absence of regulation, in the
production, marketing, and sale of market milk which may constitute a
menace to the health and welfare of the inhabitants of this state
and may tend to undermine sanitary regulations and standards of
content and purity, however effectually the sanitary regulations may
be enforced.
(d) Health regulations alone are insufficient to prevent economic
disturbances in the production of milk which may disrupt the future
supply of market milk and to safeguard the consuming public from
future inadequacy of a supply of this necessary commodity.
(e) It is the policy of this state to promote, foster, and
encourage the intelligent production and orderly marketing of
commodities necessary to its citizens, including market milk, and to
eliminate economic waste, destructive trade practices, and improper
accounting for market milk purchased from producers.
(f) It is recognized by the Legislature that the economic factors
concerning the production, marketing, and sale of market milk in
California may be affected by the national market for milk for
manufacturing purposes.
(g) It is recognized by the Legislature that in recent years the
supply of manufacturing milk in California, as defined in Section
32509, has consistently declined and continues to decline, and that
market milk has virtually supplanted manufacturing milk for
manufacturing purposes in this state, and that it is therefore
necessary to conform the pricing standards governing minimum producer
prices for market milk established under this chapter to current
economic conditions.
(h) It is recognized by the Legislature that the levels of retail
prices of milk and milk products paid by consumers are affected by a
large number of economic and other factors apart from minimum
producer prices for market milk established under this chapter, many
of which factors are not within the power of the director to regulate
or control, particularly since the Legislature repealed provisions
concerning establishment of minimum wholesale and retail prices. It
is further recognized by the Legislature that, in order to accomplish
the purposes of this chapter and to promote the public health and
welfare, it is essential to establish minimum producer prices at fair
and reasonable levels so as to generate reasonable producer incomes
that will promote the intelligent and orderly marketing of market
milk in the various classes, and that minimum producer prices
established under this chapter should not be unreasonably depressed
because other factors have affected the levels of retail prices paid
by consumers.