Louisiana passed a new crawfish and shrimp menu labeling law. Officials will require seafood serving establishments to make note on their menus as to the country of origin of their shrimp and crawfish.
Louisiana Passes New Crawfish and Shrimp Menu Labeling Law
In the state of Louisiana, house bill 335, a new menu labeling law became effective September 1, 2019. According to this new house bill, Louisiana restaurants must list the country of origin of the shrimp and crawfish offered on restaurant menus. This information must be clearly labeled in the same size font and type next to the listed menu item.
This new shellfish labeling law also has guidelines for non-traditional menus. An 18 x 18 inch sign declaring the seafood items and country of origin outside of the United States must be present at the restaurant’s main entrance.
According to the FDA and the Louisiana Restaurant Association, labor shortages could delay the enforcement of this bill. Currently, the department has a total of 28 health inspectors between Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Altogether, those 28 inspectors oversee nearly 32,000 food establishments in that area. With so many restaurants and so few health inspectors, implementing this new rule could take time.
Restaurants who fail to comply with the new Louisiana menu labeling law will be in violation of the sanitary code and therefore penalized accordingly.
