By KRWG News
Hatch – Gov. Susana Martinez has signed into law legislation that makes it illegal to advertise any product as New Mexico chile unless the hot peppers are grown in the state.
The governor signed the bill Tuesday morning during a stop at the Pepper Pot Restaurant in Hatch, a southern New Mexico village that bills itself as the Chile Capital of the World.
Martinez says New Mexico's chilies are a core part of the state's culture and economy and that the new law will ensure people around the world know that the best chile comes from New Mexico.
Hatch Rep. Andy Nunez sponsored the bill during the recent legislative session. He says the measure is intended to bring honesty to advertising and to protect growers in New Mexico.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.