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Committee approves strike‑all seafood labeling rewrite; members add country‑of‑origin flexibility
Summary
The committee adopted a strike‑all rewrite of the seafood labeling bill that allows labeling to be affixed to menu covers or the same page and adds alternatives (domestic/imported or country of origin) to help restaurants and grocery stores; General Spraggins explained the change was requested by the restaurant association.
Chair described a proposed 'strike-all' rewrite of House Bill 1466 intended to improve consumer understanding and accommodate different retail practices. The Chair said one change would allow labeling to be affixed to a menu cover or on the same page as seafood items, and another change is aimed at making labeling easier for grocery stores. The Chair also noted the strike-all should include a reverse repealer and recognized the vice chair to reinsert that clause.
A committee member asked about a new designation (domestic/imported) and the purpose of adding 'country of origin.' The Chair recognized General Spraggins to respond. General Spraggins said some menus list a country (for example, 'Argentine') and restaurant operators asked to be able to display that without also saying 'imported.' "The idea was to let the consumer know what they were getting," General Spraggins said, explaining grocery products often already include country-of-origin information. The committee adopted a grammatical fix (changing 'county' to 'country' in the short title) and later voted to pass the strike-all; the committee reported the bill out.
