SEAFOODNEWS.COM — September 2, 2014 — California lawmakers have voted on a piece of legislation that will make it illegal for vendors to knowlingly sell or offer to sell wholesale or retail seafood without properly labeling the common name of the fish or shellfish.
The bill, which will now go to state Governor Jerry Brown for final approval, also makes it illegal to mislabel seafood as farmed or wild caught, along with misrepresenting an item's country of origin.
On Friday, the Calif. State Senate gave final legislative approval to Senate Bill 1138, originally proposed by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima).
"SB 1138 addresses the growing problem of seafood mislabeling by making sure that seafood is labeled accurately. Mislabeled seafood threatens public health, honest businesses and imperils the sustainability of sea life in the Pacific Ocean and oceans around the world,” said Sen. Padilla. “My bill will ensure that seafood is labeled accurately,” added Padilla.
A violation would be punishable by $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail. The bill is modeled after similar legislation approved in the state of Washington.
“The seafood we buy at the grocery store should be what the label says. The seafood we order at our favorite restaurant should be the seafood we are served,” said Senator Padilla. “To protect our health, oceans, and economy, it is essential that seafood be accurately labeled,” said Padilla. “Honesty is always the best policy,” added Padilla.
Joe Cappuccio, President of Del Mar Seafoods, one of the largest commercial fishing operations in the United States and founded and located in California said, “In order to ensure imported seafood is treated the same as exported sea food, Del Mar Seafood’s is supportive of requiring consistent seafood labeling requirements for both foreign and domestic entities. Lack of labeling requirements on imported seafood creates an uneven playing field for California companies.”
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.