KEY TAKEAWAYS: Louisiana House committee advances bills targeting seafood mislabeling Proposed laws expand enforcement powers for state agriculture officials Restaurants may be required to keep seafood purchase records for inspections Measures aim to protect local shrimp industry and ensure co nsumer transparency   State lawmakers have advanced a variety of new proposals to continue Louisiana’s crackdown on the mislabeling and misrepresentation of imported seafood. A Louisiana House committee approved two bills Thursday that would give more power to the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry to investigate and seize unlawful seafood from wholesalers, retailers and restaurants. In Louisiana, foreign seafood becomes illegal if it is mislabeled or commingled with domestic catch to hide its true country of origin. State law also prohibits restaurants from selling imported shrimp or crawfish without disclosing its origin on the menu or on a sign. House Bill 725, sponsored by Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, would require restaurants and other food retailers to retain all records of seafood purchases for at least six months and keep them available for state inspection. Domangue has become the new standard-bearer for Louisiana’s shrimping industry at the State Capitol. She said she comes from a long line of shrimpers that include her father, grandfather, great-grandfather and many other relatives. “I was actually 6 weeks old the first time I got on a shrimp boat when I went on a trip with my parents,” Domangue told the House Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture and Rural Development Committee. “So this is a way of life in Terrebonne Parish … and we’re just working and fighting together to save this industry.” State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain, who testified at Thursday’s hearing, told lawmakers invoice records are the easiest way to verify if a restaurant is following the menu law. If the records aren’t available, officials typically need to do a lab test to determine the origin of the shrimp. “This just allows us to go in and look at the records,” Strain said. “Because when you have to test, it’s very expensive. Generally the records will suffice.” A violation of the proposed records retention law would carry a civil penalty the agriculture commissioner would determine on a case-by-case basis. Domangue is sponsoring another measure, House Bill 121, that would empower the agriculture commissioner to seize, hold or destroy any seafood found to be in violation of state law. Under current law, the commissioner can issue a stop order that prevents the product from being sold. Domangue’s proposal would let the commissioner take and dispose of the illegal seafood. “What we don’t want is the product to be moved to another location or sent back out of state where it will go back to another retail establishment,” Strain said, adding that the new powers would help safeguard the domestic seafood industry and protect the health of consumers. Strain said upwards of 94% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. Foreign seafood industry has a number of problems, documented through academic research and investigative reporting. Seafood companies have been caught using slave labor for commercial fishing and processing, and testing of imported seafood in Louisiana has revealed the presence of banned veterinary chemicals potentially harmful to humans. Both of Domingue’s bills cleared the committee without objections and will head to the floor of the House of Representatives for further consideration. On Wednesday, another seafood measure advanced to the chamber. House Bill 857, sponsored by Rep. Tim Kerner, R-Lafitte, cleared the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment without objection. Under current law, food processors and distributors can face a fine of $15,000 for mislabeling foreign seafood as domestic. Kerner’s bill would clarify that this law also applies to foreign seafood commingled with and labeled as domestic seafood. ...read more read less