Louisiana restaurants and other food service establishments will now be required to inform patrons if the shrimp and crawfish they serve is imported.
On Wednesday, Governor John Bel Edwards officially signed house bill 335 into law.
The bill will require the labeling on menus and other signage of whether seafood, namely shrimp and crawfish, served in Louisiana restaurants is of foreign origin. The Louisiana Department of Health will enforce the law. The bill states that any violation will be considered a violation of the state’s sanitary code.
The governor was joined by local and state officials, fishermen and community leaders at “The Shack,” a seafood restaurant in Houma, to sign the bill.
“This legislation protects Louisiana’s hardworking fishermen who help drive the state’s economy and preserve an important part of our cultural heritage,” said Gov. Edwards. “Crawfish and shrimp are foundations of Louisiana’s seafood industry and HB 335 is vital to ensuring the industry remains strong and competitive.”
The law’s other aim, according to Representative Jerry “Truck” Gisclair who authored the bill, is to protect consumers from potentially harmful chemicals and residues found in seafood products imported from foreign countries.
“America is becoming more resistant to antibiotics and it’s because we’re consuming so much foreign products that contain antibiotics,” Gisclair told KATC’s Katie Easter. “The long term effect is catching up to us.”
Seafood ID bill seeks to add information to menus in Louisiana
