New Mexico Targets Fake NM Chile Peppers

I don’t know what a chile pepper blitz is; I’m more familiar with the German version wherein you invade France, occupy Paris, and then Quentin Tarantino makes a movie around it. Apparently, however, New Mexico officials have launched a “chile blitz” aimed at spotting fake New Mexico chiles. It’s an idea along the same lines as Italy’s proprietary take on “real” Neapolitan pizza or France’s claim to champagne.

New Mexico Department of Agriculture Standards and Consumer Services inspectors are traveling the state this week to ensure processed and fresh chile products are compliant under the New Mexico Chile Advertising Act.
The state law forbids anyone from knowingly advertising or selling chile peppers that claim to be from New Mexico but are from somewhere else.
The law also bans anyone from selling chile from other states with images of New Mexico cities, towns or recognizable state images in advertisements.
Any one who grows or sells fresh chile and advertises it as “New Mexico chile” must register with the NMDA Standards and Consumer services division by completing a verification/registration form, which was updated earlier this year. The verification form must accompany each load of chile and through to the point of sale. For processed chile products, only a one-time form is required.
A list of registered vendors and products is available at the NMDA site.