Rhode Island General Laws Title 21. Food and Drugs § 21-4.1-3. Powers and duties

(a) The commission shall set the minimum price paid to the producer for Class 1 milk.

(b) The commission shall conduct independent studies and reviews of the economics and practices of the milk industry in order to determine whether any producer or dealer is engaged in predatory pricing or other anticompetitive activity in violation of § 6-13-2.1.

(c) The commission may adopt, promulgate and enforce all rules, regulations and orders necessary to the commission's performance of its duties under this chapter.

(d) Every producer and every dealer shall keep and render to the commission, at the times and in the manner and form as shall be prescribed by the rules and regulations of the director, accounts of all business transacted which is related to the production, purchasing, processing, distribution or sale of milk in this state.  Those accounts shall reasonably and accurately reflect, in any detail that the commission deems necessary and appropriate:  (1) milk prices generally, (2) container costs, (3) price categories relating to different quantities of milk packaged and sold in separate containers, (4) distribution costs, and (5) any other matters which affect or which are relevant to retail milk prices in this state.

(e) All information collected and renamed by the commission in the performance of its duties shall be confidential, except that the information may be disclosed to public officials when necessary or appropriate to the performance of their official duties.  Collective information of a general statistical nature may be reported.

(f) The commission shall conduct any public hearings that it deems necessary and appropriate to its performance of its duties under this chapter.