Sen. Judi Guthertz has introduced Bill 226, which will require a country of origin label on products that are not manufactured or produced on Guam, but use the words “Guam,” “Chamorro,” or any derivation of those words on the product.
Guthertz held a roundtable discussion in April to address concerns relating to the Guam Product Seal Law after some local manufacturers raised concerns that the existing law contains loopholes.
Some of these loopholes involve copycat manufacturers from off-island who take advantage of the Guam brand and mislead visitors and the general public into believing the products offered are actually made in Guam.
The Guam Product Seal Law has two provisions: the first states it is unlawful for any business establishment to state or imply in an advertisement display of any type, including packaging, that a manufactured product is made on Guam if the product does not have a Guam product seal on it; the second provision states it is unlawful for any business establishment to sell a product that has the words “Guam” or “Chamorro” or a derivation of such words on a product, if such a product was not manufactured on Guam, unless the place where the product was manufactured is clearly labeled on the product.
But Customs and Quarantine representatives earlier stated that when they come across off-island products that have “Guam” on its packaging, the products pass Customs because the packaging clearly states its manufacturing origin.
