September 17, 2015 — The following was released by the Office of Senator Lisa Murkowski:
Today Senator Lisa Murkowski introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to change the market name of “Alaska pollock” to “pollock”. The change aims to better distinguish the pollock harvested in Alaskan waters from Russian pollock passing itself off as “Alaskan pollock” in stores nationwide.
In 2012, 113 million pounds of Russia’s pollock were sold to U.S. consumers as “Alaska pollock.” Murkowski believes the labeling move is necessary because Alaska’s fisheries are far more rigorously managed than Russian waters.
“Alaska is known world-wide for our top quality seafood. When consumers seek out the words, ‘Alaska, wild-caught’ at the grocery store, they shouldn’t be deceived by what they are actually getting,” said Senator Murkowski. “The change in nomenclature is necessary to avoid ongoing misrepresentation of the origin of pollock that is purchased and consumed in the U.S.”
This bill also makes a similar change to golden king crab, which has met the same problems in the market as pollock.
The Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) support Murkowski’s efforts and have previously cited several reasons for the requested change:
- The use of “Alaska pollock” as an acceptable market name is misleading to consumers;
- “Alaska pollock” is understood by consumers to connote a geographic origin, not a particular kind of food from any geographic origin;
- The use of “Alaska pollock” as an acceptable market name is inconsistent with other similar fish species; and
- U.S. government programs support other efforts to provide accurate information to consumers about the seafood they purchase.
Background: The bill is the result of a long standing effort to get the FDA to change the name. Senator Murkowski has reached out to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) multiple times to push for the market name to be changed, including writing a letter to the FDA Commissioner this past May.