Court Sides With Efforts To Certify Hatch Chiles

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A federal appeals court is refusing to reconsider a decision in favor of an association of green chile growers in the Hatch Valley of Southern New Mexico in a dispute over the use of the renowned Hatch name on food labels. The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a rehearing request by the Hatch Chile Co. in a potential setback to the company's efforts to protect its stylized "Hatch" brand logos. The court is backing efforts by the Hatch Chile Association and allied Albuquerque food distributor El Encanto to subpoena records that may indicate whether Hatch Chile Co. products contain purely Hatch-grown chile. Chile association member Preston Mitchell said Thursday that a lower court will review the subpoenas. The association is seeking a certification mark for Hatch-grown chiles.