With chile season in full swing in New Mexico, the state department of agriculture is cracking down on growers falsely claiming their "impostor" chile is from the state. "The chile's been really good. The problem is I don't think we're going to have enough for everybody, especially (now that) it's getting so famous around the country," said Melva Aguirre, the owner of the Pepper Pot restaurant in Hatch, N.M. Chiles have made Hatch a household name and with that fame comes plenty of people trying to ride the coattails by claiming their chiles are grown in New Mexico when they are not, an action that is now illegal in the state because local farmers and state legislators feel those impostors are basically committing copyright infringement. The law requires anyone selling fresh chiles or products containing chiles and labeling it as made in New Mexico file paperwork with the NMDA to prove it. If vendors don't, then inspectors will stop all sales of those products until the vendors either prove the origin of the product or change the product's packaging. Anyone caught lying about their chile being made in New Mexico can face up to $300 in fines and/or 90 days in jail if they get caught, all to protect what local farmers said is the best chile in the world...
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