(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any producer, handler, processor, or retailer of products sold as organic shall immediately make available for inspection by, and shall upon request, within 72 hours of the request, provide a copy to, the secretary, the Attorney General, any prosecuting attorney, any governmental agency responsible for enforcing laws related to the production or handling of products sold as organic, of any record required to be kept under this section for purposes of carrying out this act. Records acquired pursuant to this act shall not be public records as that term is defined in § 7920.530 of the Government Code and shall not be subject to Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code.

(b) Upon written request of any person that establishes cause for the request, the secretary shall obtain and provide to the requesting party within 10 working days of the request a copy of any of the following records required to be kept under this act that pertain to a specific product sold or offered for sale, and that identify substances applied, administered, or added to that product, except that financial information about an operation or transaction, information regarding the quantity of a substance administered or applied, the date of each administration or application, information regarding the identity of suppliers or customers, and the quantity or price of supplies purchased or products sold shall be removed before disclosure and shall not be released to any person other than persons and agencies authorized to acquire records under subdivision (a):

(1) Records of a producer, as described in Section 46028.

(2) Records of a handler, as described in Section 46028, records of previous handlers, if any, and producers as described in Section 46028 without identifying the previous handlers or producers, and, if applicable, records obtained as required in this act.

(3) (A) Records of a retailer, as described in Section 46028, records of previous handlers, if any, and producers as described in Section 46028 without identifying the previous processors, handlers, or producers, and, if applicable, records obtained as required in subdivision (d). This subdivision shall be the exclusive means of public access to records required to be kept by producers, processors, handlers, and retailers under this act.

(B) A person required to provide records pursuant to a request under this subdivision, may petition the secretary to deny the request based on a finding that the request is of a frivolous or harassing nature. The secretary may, upon the issuance of this finding, waive the information production requirements of this subdivision for the specific request for information that was the subject of the petition.

(c) Information specified in subdivision (b) that is required to be released upon request shall not be considered a “trade secret” under Section 110165, § 1060 of the Evidence Code, or the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Title 5 (commencing with Section 3426) of Part 1 of Division 4 of the Civil Code).

(d) The secretary may charge the person requesting records a reasonable fee to reimburse the secretary or the source of the records for the cost of reproducing the records requested.

(e) The secretary shall not be required to obtain records not in the secretary’s possession in response to a subpoena. Prior to releasing records required to be kept pursuant to this act in response to a subpoena, the secretary shall delete any information regarding the identity of suppliers or customers and the quantity or price of supplies purchased or products sold.

(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 615, Sec. 128. (AB 474) Effective January 1, 2022. Operative January 1, 2023, pursuant to Sec. 463 of Stats. 2021, Ch. 615.)