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LD113 • 2025

An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production

An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production

Agriculture
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Representative Michael Soboleski
Last action
2025-03-13
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production

An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production Sponsor: Representative Michael Soboleski Reference committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production Sponsor: Representative Michael Soboleski Reference committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-13 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-03-11 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-03-04 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-03-04 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-01-08 House

    Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and ordered printed. The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  6. 2025-01-08 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production
Sponsor:
Representative Michael Soboleski
Reference committee:
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 113
H.P. 78 House of Representatives, January 8, 2025
An Act to Require Food Labels to Disclose Use of Messenger
Ribonucleic Acid Vaccine Material in Food Production
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SOBOLESKI of Phillips.
Cosponsored by Senator MARTIN of Oxford and
Representative: SMITH of Palermo.

Page 1 - 132LR0077(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 7 MRSA c. 101, sub-c. 8 is enacted to read:
3SUBCHAPTER 8
4LABELING FOODS FOR MESSENGER RIBONUCLEIC ACID VACCINE
5MATERIAL
6§530-F. Labels for food or food products that include messenger ribonucleic acid
7vaccine material
81. Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the
9 following terms have the following meanings.
10 A. "Aquaculture" has the same meaning as in Title 12, section 6001, subsection 1.
11 B. "Food or food products" has the same meaning as in section 282, subsection 2.
12 C. "Livestock" has the same meaning as in section 81, subsection 8.
13 D. "Messenger ribonucleic acid vaccine material" or "mRNA vaccine material" means
14 a substance included in a vaccine to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide
15 immunity against disease by introducing messenger ribonucleic acid that corresponds
16 to a viral protein.
17 E. "Poultry" has the same meaning as in section 1751, subsection 5.
182. Labeling required. A label must be placed on a food or food product offered for
19 sale in the State derived from aquaculture, livestock or poultry that received mRNA vaccine
20 material. The label must:
21 A. Contain a clear and concise statement that the food or food product contains mRNA
22 vaccine material; and
23 B. Be conspicuously and prominently placed in order to be easily seen by the consumer.
243. Enforcement; rules. If inspection personnel of the department find that the food or
25 food product is not properly labeled as required by this section, the commissioner shall
26 issue a stop order for the food or food product until it is labeled in accordance with this
27 section.
28 The department shall adopt rules implementing this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this
29 subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
30SUMMARY
31 This bill requires that a label be placed on a food or food product offered for sale in the
32 State derived from aquaculture, livestock or poultry that received messenger ribonucleic
33 acid, also known as mRNA, vaccine material.
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