Informing the Legislature that on July 3, 2024, the Governor signed the following bill into law: HB2298 HD1 SD2 CD1 (ACT 198).

This bill, signed into law on July 3, 2024, changes how coffee products can be labeled in Hawaii to better protect consumers and local growers. Currently, blends containing only 10% coffee from a specific region like Kona can use that region's name on packaging, which the bill argues misleads buyers into thinking the product is mostly from that area. The law now requires that any coffee product using a specific Hawaiian geographic origin name must contain at least 51% of its beans from that region starting July 1, 2027. Additionally, the legislation exempts retailers who simply sell pre-packaged coffee from liability if the packaging violates these new labeling rules.