The House Committee on Agriculture & Food Systems moved HB 534 forward on Jan. 31, 2025 to require retail labeling that states the country where ahi was landed. Supporters said the measure would provide consumers with origin information and transparency at retail fish counters and in prepared products.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Long Line Association testified in support. Deputy Attorney General Travis Moon provided written comments raising a potential supremacy clause (federal preemption) issue with raw ahi and recommended narrowing definitions if necessary. The Department of Agriculture recommended the measure might be better executed under DCCA or DOH due to inspection and enforcement responsibilities.

The Hawaii Long Line Association said consumers are not currently being informed about origin and previously frozen, gas-treated imported ahi is often sold with little labeling; the association and producer groups called for clearer origin labeling to allow consumer choice. Hawaii Farmers Union asked clarifying questions about whether the bill intends to identify country of catch, country of processing or country of landing and raised enforcement capacity concerns.

At decision making the committee accepted technical amendments, said it would consider the attorney general’s and Department of Agriculture’s comments (including possibly narrowing definitions to avoid federal preemption issues), and defected the effective date to July 1, 3000. The committee advanced the bill and directed additional drafting to address the enforcement and definition questions raised during testimony.