State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger's Island) is praising his recently passed bill requiring establishments to disclose whether seafood is domestic or imported after a restaurant in Mississippi pleaded guilty to mislabeling fish.
According to federal prosecutors, the owners of Mary Mahoney's Old French House Restaurant in Biloxi, Miss., recently pled guilty to passing off frozen, foreign fish as local gulf-caught fish for years. Prosecutors claimed consumers paid fresh, Gulf Coast prices for thousands of pounds of cheaper foreign seafood.
Brown's bill, House Bill 66, requires food service establishments to notify consumers of the country of origin or importation status of seafood products offered for sale. Pointing to the fraud in Biloxi, Brown says his legislation will prevent similar chicanery from occurring in the Yellowhammer state.
"Alabama's commercial seafood industry plays a vital role in our economy, and with foreign caught products flooding the U.S. market, it is essential that we support it, protect it, and promote it," Brown said. "By requiring disclosure if seafood is domestic or imported, we can encourage the use of products caught in Alabama, ensure that consumers are informed about the food they consume, and hold restaurants accountable if they commit similar fraud."
In addition to requiring country-of-origin notification, Brown's bill requires advertisements for seafood products and dishes sold by food service establishments to include the same information. It also requires fish or shrimp products to be labeled as either farm-raised or caught in the wild.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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