Bill to require seafood origin labeling introduced in Senate
Fri, Mar 7, 2008
By ANNA FERGUSONThe Brunswick NewsWhen ordering seafood, many of Russell Hohnerlein's customers have the same question: Where did it come from? Hohnerlein, manager of The 4th of May at 444 Ocean Blvd, St. Simons Island, never has to check a daily serve list to answer. "All our seafood is local. Always," he said.Should Sen. Ronnie Chance, R- Fayette, have his way, Hohnerlein won't have to field this question much longer. The answer will be visible to the eye – right there on the menu.
Mike Oriams, left, of City Market on Gloucester Street in Brunswick, sells the biggest flounder in the house to Ann Friedrich of St. Simons Island, right, while Frank Owens looks on. (Michael Hall/The Brunswick News)
| Senate Bill 533, introduced by Chance Wednesday, would require restaurant menus to carry a label on all seafood items identifying the country of origin.The bill is co-sponsored by five other Republicans in the Senate, including Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick. He is no stranger to the seafood industry. His district includes Georgia's southern coastline, which encompasses a large part of the state's commercial fishing fleet."This is just good government," Chapman said, adding that he is confident the bill will make its way into a law. "It benefits and protects the consumer as well as area fishermen. There really is no down side here." Under Food and Drug Administration regulations, country-of-origin labeling requirements are already required on some seafood, including what's sold at the grocery store and other food outlets. The regulation is beneficial to business, said Frank Owens, manager at City Market at 1508 Gloucester St. in Brunswick. "A lot of people ask me where my fish is from and I have no problem telling them it's all local and from the states," Owens said. "I think it does make a difference and is important knowing where your food is from." Ann Friedrich of St. Simons is one such customer. A regular at City Market, she opts to buy her fish there because it is a regional variety. "I drove over from the island because I know where this fish is coming from," she said. "At the grocery store, it's from Thailand and China. Who knows what all is in that."Labeling seafood items on menus is already mandated in Arkansas, and similar bills are moving forward in Mississippi and Alabama, said Jeff McCord, a representative with the Catfish Institute. In recent years, the vast majority of seafood served in America has hailed from farms in Asia. Such imports have lowered the price of seafood, said McCord."The price of labor is a lot cheaper in Asia, and the health standards are much lower," he said. "In many cases, fish are, essentially, raised in cesspools."He said only about 1 percent of food imported in the U.S. is inspected.Chance's bill would not stop the purchase of seafood from outside the country. It is a mere effort to create a heightened awareness of consumer health issues and encourage the serving of locally-farmed foods, said Eddie Gordon, executive director of the Wild American Shrimp Association."It's a win-win situation," Gordon said. "It doesn't keep imported seafood from being sold here, but it does give consumers the tools they need to make their own informed decisions."Gordon, whose organization supports the promotional campaign that encourages consumers to ask for and to eat seafood caught in local waters, has felt a positive push among consumers recently for more locally grown and farmed foods, including seafood. This bill is reflective of that effort and would hopefully bring the seafood industry up to speed regarding consumer needs, he said. The price difference between eating locally raised and caught seafood and imported varieties is not drastic and wallets would not be greatly effected should the bill pass, both Gordon and McCord agree. For shrimp, the price difference between local and imported shrimp is practically nonexistent, Gordon said.For catfish, the difference usually rings up as about a dollar more per pound for local varieties, McCord said. Since most restaurants already know the origin of the seafood they serve, adding labels to the menu would not be a difficult task. If anything, Gordon said, it would be an advantage."Eating local has become a big movement nationwide," he said. "More and more people are becoming savvy about knowing where their food is from. This requirement could only help restaurants," Gordon said. In Arkansas, where the requirement has already been enacted, that has proven to be the case, McCord said. "It's really become a selling point," he said.At Dressner's Village Cafe, 223 Mallory St., St. Simons Island, the main seafood dish on the menu – grouper – is not farmed locally but instead comes through vendors. Should the bill pass, Dressner's manager Bob Lowry said he would comply with the new regulations but is unsure how the measure might affect business. "Our grouper is never local," he said. "But if we are required to list where it's from, then that's what we'll do."
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