BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2682
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 25, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

             AB 2682 (Committee on Agriculture) - As Amended:  March 29, 
                                        2012 

          Policy Committee:                              AgricultureVote:9 
          - 0 

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill changes the designation of the California Science 
          Center as a space age museum to an air and space center, adds 
          kefir to the products that comprise Class 2 market milk, and 
          makes other technical and clarifying changes. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          There are no significant costs associated with this legislation. 


           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  . This bill is the Assembly Committee on Agriculture's 
            2012 omnibus legislation designed to make technical and 
            non-substantial changes to various portions of the Food and 
            Agriculture laws for the state. 
           
          2)Dairy Classification  . Milk and dairy food processors pay for 
            milk based upon the products in which it is used.  Product 
            usages are grouped in "classifications."  Class 1 is fluid 
            milk and creams, Class 2 are cultured products such as yogurt 
            and cottage cheese.  Class 3 are frozen products such as ice 
            cream and frozen yogurt.  Class 4 is cheese, butter and dry 
            milk powder.  Most of California's milk uses classifications 
            identical to those in the federal system.  According to 
            supporters, comparability allows California products to 
            compete for markets for those products.  In 2005, the federal 
            classification for kefir (a fermented, yogurt-style drink that 
            contains beneficial bacteria) was changed to Class 2, placing 








                                                                  AB 2682
                                                                  Page  2

            it among all other cultured dairy products.  This bill 
            reclassifies kefir as a Class 2 product in California, to 
            align with the federal classification for this product.   


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916) 
          319-2081