Washington, D.C. – A joint task force comprised of members of the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA), the Society of American Florists (SAF) and the Ohio Florists Association (OFA) has convened to examine the issue of the industry’s compliance with existing weights and measures regulations. The group formed in response to recognition by green industry firms that the current regulatory focus on garden retailers in Pennsylvania has national ramifications.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) has been working with the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association (PLNA) since June 2003 on the issue of increased enforcement of marketing regulations, set to begin April 1, 2004. PLNA and PDA are collaborating with the joint task force to keep the national industry appraised of compliance requirements and new developments in their state.
ANLA contacted the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) last summer to explore the national implications of Pennsylvania’s actions. The joint task force and NIST will be working together to provide the industry with guidelines and a timeline for full compliance nationally that respects the economic implications for the green industry.
Weights and measures regulations specify the ways in which quantity is communicated to the retail consumer in the form of advertising, signage and labeling. Existing regulations require change in the ways this information currently is communicated. Beyond the communication of size and volume, the regulations do not appear to require significant changes in current manufacturing or production practices.
The task force is committed to maintaining timely and open channels of communication with all concerned members of the green industry, as further information becomes available.