Restaurants Cited For Violation Of Shrimp & Crawfish Origin Law

In the first 20 days of enforcement, at least 20 restaurants have been cited for the violation of the seafood labeling law requiring businesses to disclose if their shrimp and crawfish products are imported.  Department of Health spokesperson Bob Johannessen says the citations are considered a minor violation.

“This is certainly not a citation that has anything to do with food safety.  It’s a requirement of the law, and it is so consumers can have a better idea of the origin of the shellfish products they consume,” said Johannessen.

Johannessen says LDH is providing restaurants with educational materials that will help them up to compliance and they are seeing support for the new law.

“In addition, we know that the Louisiana Restaurant Association is working with their members to do the same type of education.  The goal is that no restaurants are surprised by the law and they all have an opportunity to comply with it,” said Johannessen.

Johannessen says usually it is an easy fix for businesses to follow the law.

“The law allows them to make those changes on a piece of paper that is then paperclipped to the menu, or they can simply post the information in a place that their customers can see that describes the origin of the shellfish,” said Johannessen.