This story was originally published by Louisiana Illuminator.
What if every imported seafood product for sale in Louisiana had a red sticker with the word “Imported” affixed to the front of its packaging?
That question is one of several the state Seafood Safety Task Force is asking in an effort to address a struggling domestic fishery and increasing health risks from imported catch.
The task force met Friday for just the second time in over a decade following a long dormant period that ended last month.
State Sen. Fred Mills, R-St. Martinville, chairs the task force that he said will try to develop solutions to address three areas: the health and safety of consumers, the economy of the domestic seafood sector, and consumer education.
An influx of cheap foreign catch has flooded the seafood market in Louisiana, and most restaurants in the state choose to serve imported shrimp and crawfish to patrons who are either oblivious to it or mistakenly believe they’re eating local fare, according to the Louisiana Shrimp Association. The effects have decimated a local industry and unique Louisiana culture while also potentially introducing harmful contaminants into the food supply.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the primary line of defense protecting consumers from such risks, but the agency screens only about 2% of the foreign catch that arrives at U.S. ports of entry, according to a Government Accountability Office report. Of that small amount sampled, roughly 10% has tested positive for contaminants. For comparison, the European Union, the world’s largest seafood importer, screens about 50%.
Louisiana has tried to close the gap by deploying health inspectors to test samples at the 58 permitted wholesale distributors of imported seafood across the state.
It’s not enough, however. The health department currently has funding for just four inspectors, and it typically takes about eight days to get results back from the state lab, according to agency officials. Contaminated food can reach millions of people in that amount of time.
The task force is researching ways to pay for more testing through tariffs or fees and to shift the testing higher up along the supply chain as close as possible to the source.
But additional testing can only go so far. Kim Chauvin, a shrimp exporter and president of the Women’s Southern Fisheries Alliance, said there are different ways foreign exporters have circumvented seafood inspectors.
If a batch of foreign seafood is rejected at a port, some companies will try to slip it in through a different destination, Chauvin said.
Even more frustrating and almost universally decried in Louisiana is deceptive labeling that exploits local cultural references.
The task force mentioned Boudreaux’s Brand Crawfish Tail Meat, which can be found in almost any Louisiana grocery store. Everything about the product suggests it’s from Louisiana, from its use of a classic Cajun name to the words “Wild Caught” in large lettering across the label.
At the bottom of the label, it lists a Westwego address and a logo in the shape of Louisiana for its distributor, Gulf Marine Products Co.. However, a keen observer will notice a declaration elsewhere on the label: “Product of China.”
“They’re using our culture, they’re using our heritage,” Chauvin said. “It’s a huge problem, and it’s very deceiving.”
Several members of the panel said shrimp laid out on an ice display at grocery stores is often taken out of the similar frozen packages that may or may not be from a foreign country. The catch might be advertised as “Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp,” but it often deliberately fails to specify which gulf it came from.
One idea the panel discussed is a state law that would require all foreign seafood products to have a brightly-colored or otherwise easy-to-read sticker or tag that says, “Imported.” That way consumers are never confused or uncertain about what they’re buying.
Another problem, Chauvin said, is that some Louisiana schools are serving foreign shrimp to kids for lunch. Schools are exempt from the state’s labeling law that requires food service establishments to indicate on their menus or on a sign if they serve imported shrimp or crawfish.
Chauvin said school systems will call her company to get a quote for her shrimp but almost always choose the cheaper foreign-sourced options.
The panel’s next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 27. Mills said he has invited an official from the Port of New Orleans to provide information on food imports and customs.