Committee approves amendment and advances shrimp‑origin labeling for commercial food service establishments

The Agriculture & Consumer Affairs Committee advanced House Bill 117, a measure requiring commercial food service establishments to disclose imported shrimp on menus or on placards visible to the public.

The bill’s substitute narrowed the original proposal to focus on commercial food service establishments (including food trucks) and to require disclosure specifically for shrimp. Committee members and the bill proponent said shrimp represents the largest single seafood product consumed nationally and that limiting the requirement to imported shrimp reduces the burden on restaurants compared with labeling all seafood items.

An amendment approved on the committee floor inserted the word "imported" into the portion of the bill that describes which shrimp must be disclosed; that change makes clear that only imported shrimp — not domestic shrimp — must be identified as such. Committee members confirmed ‘‘food service establishment’’ is defined elsewhere in state law and said mobile vendors hold the same public‑health permits as brick‑and‑mortar restaurants and would therefore be covered.

Discussion also touched on federal inspection and food‑safety oversight. Committee testimony noted the Food and Drug Administration inspects a small percentage of imported shrimp shipments; proponents framed the proposal as a consumer‑transparency measure, not a food‑safety standard. Several members expressed interest in broader seafood labeling in future sessions, but the committee accepted the substitute as a compromise to reduce industry compliance burdens.

The committee adopted the amendment and then advanced the bill as amended. The transcript records a voice vote on the amendment and a subsequent vote on the substitute as amended; the transcript notes one member opposed the final vote but does not provide a roll‑call tally.