Existing Food-Disparagement Laws By State

The links below contain the text of the statutory food-disparagement laws as enacted in thirteen states. Twelve of these statutes are civil and one is criminal (Colorado).

State	Year	Statute
Louisiana	1991	La. Rev. Stat. Ann. 3:4501 (West Supp. 1995)
Idaho	1992	Idaho Code 6-2001 (1995)
Mississippi	1994	Miss. Code Ann. 69-1-253(a) (1995)
Georgia	1994	Ga. Code Ann. 2-16-1 (Supp. 1995)
Colorado	1994	In 1994, the Colorado legislature amended an earlier statute, Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 35-31-101, in such a way as to criminalize "knowingly to make any materially false statement" regarding an agricultural product. Id. (West Supp. 1996).
South Dakota	1994	S.D. Codified Laws Ann. 20-10A-2 (1995)
Texas	1995	Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. 96.001-.004 (West 1995)
Florida	1995	Fla. Stat. ch. 865.065 (1994)
Arizona	1995/ 96	Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. 3-113 (Supp. 1995)
Alabama	1996	Ala. Code 6-5-620 (Supp. 1995)
Oklahoma	1995	Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 2, 3011-12 (West Supp. 1996)
Ohio	1996	Ohio Rev. Code Ann. 2307.81 (Anderson 1995 & Supp. 1996)
North Dakota	1997	North Dakota Century Code 32-44-02 (03, 04)

For a general account of the history of the food disparagement laws and the effort behind them, see Sheldon Rampton & John Stauber, Mad Cow U.S.A. (Monroe Maine: Common Courage Press, 1997), pp. 17-24; pp. 137-145.

see also the Scholarly Essays link on this Web site