ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 134
BY REPRESENTATIVES KERNER, AMEDEE, BROWN, BRYANT, CARPENTER,
CARRIER, WILFORD CARTER, GAROFALO, GLOVER, ILLG, LACOMBE,
MACK, MAGEE, MARCELLE, NEWELL, ORGERON, SCHEXNAYDER,
SELDERS, ST. BLANC, THOMPSON, AND WHEAT
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To create the Imported Seafood Safety Task Force to study and make recommendations
regarding funding for imported seafood testing and enforcement mechanisms
required for the Louisiana Department of Health to effectively protect Louisiana
consumers.
WHEREAS, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in
2019 the United States imported six billion pounds of edible seafood products; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that over half of the imported seafood consumed in the
United States is from aquaculture rather than wild-caught; and
WHEREAS, only a very small amount of imported seafood is tested for harmful
substances by the federal government; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana State University School of Renewable Natural Resources
published a 2020 paper titled "Determination of Sulfite and Antimicrobial Residue in
Imported Shrimp to the USA", which presented findings from a study of imported shrimp
purchased from retail stores in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, a screening of these shrimp for sulfites and residues from antimicrobial
drugs found the following: (1) five percent of the shrimp contained malachite green, (2)
seven percent contained oxytetracycline, (3) seventeen percent contained fluoroquinolone,
and (4) seventy percent contained nitrofurantoin; and
WHEREAS, all of these substances have been banned by the United States Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) in domestic aquaculture operations; and
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WHEREAS, although the FDA requires that food products exposed to sulfites must
include a label with a statement about the presence of sulfites, of the forty-three percent of
these locally purchased shrimp found to contain sulfites, not one package complied with this
labeling requirement; and
WHEREAS, the drug and sulfite residues included in this screening can be harmful
to human health during both handling and consumption and have been known to cause all
of the following: liver damage and tumors, reproductive abnormalities, cardiac arrhythmia,
renal failure, hemolysis, asthma attacks, and allergic reactions; and
WHEREAS, the results of this study confirm that existing screening and enforcement
measures for imported seafood are insufficient; whatever the percentage of imports inspected
may be, seafood is currently being imported that contains unsafe substances that put
Louisiana consumers at risk; and
WHEREAS, in order to protect the health and safety of Louisiana consumers, the
Louisiana Department of Health is statutorily authorized to sample and test imported
seafood; and
WHEREAS, current law requires commercial seafood permit holders that import
seafood to pay a nominal annual "seafood safety fee" of one hundred dollars; and
WHEREAS, the department requires increased funding in order to cover the costs
of the tests and increase the frequency of testing.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
establish the Imported Seafood Safety Task Force to study and make recommendations
regarding funding for the testing of imported seafood, what a fair fee would be for
commercial distributors of imported seafood in Louisiana, and what enforcement
mechanisms should be in place for the Louisiana Department of Health to be able to
effectively carry out its mandate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Imported Seafood Safety Task Force shall
be composed of the following members:
(1) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee.
(2) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries or his
designee.
(3) One member appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
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(4) One member appointed by the president of the Senate.
(5) A representative of commercial fisherman, appointed by the secretary of the
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
(6) One member appointed by the Shrimp Task Force.
(7) A representative of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
(8) A representative of the Louisiana Retailers Association.
(9) A representative of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a detailed written
report of its findings to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and the House
Committee on Natural Resources and Environment prior to the 2024 Regular Session of the
Legislature.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the secretary of the Louisiana Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries, and the Shrimp Task Force.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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