RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 148 (SB 166) 2024 Regular Session Connick
New law prohibits potentially misleading packaging and marketing of seafood products as
Louisiana products.
New law provides for an exception to the prohibition if the product package meets certain
criteria.
New law requires the commissioner of agriculture to ensure compliance and issue fines for
violations of new law.
Existing law requires all state agencies, state institutions, and local school districts that
operate food service facilities for students, patients, or inmates to only utilize meat, poultry,
and seafood products that have met all La. Department of Agriculture and Forestry
requirements for grading and certification.
New law adds that those entities only utilize domestic shrimp or domestic crawfish as
defined in new law.
Prior law established a Chinese seafood warning label program.
New law modernizes the warning label program to include all imported seafood.
Existing law requires food service establishments that sell or provide cooked or prepared
crawfish or shrimp that originate outside of the United States to notify patrons that the
seafood is imported.
Existing law requires the La. Department of Health to ensure compliance with notification
requirements.
Existing law prohibits an owner or manager of a restaurant that sells imported crawfish or
shrimp from misrepresenting to the public, either verbally, on a menu, or on signs displayed
on the premises, that the crawfish or shrimp is domestic.
Prior law required the district attorney of the district where the restaurant is located to have
jurisdiction over violations.
New law combines the existing law provisions and grants enforcement authority of both
provisions to the La. Department of Health and increases fines issued by the department.
New law changes the notification requirement to require a disclaimer that imported crawfish
or shrimp may be sold at the establishment to be printed on a menu or placed on a sign
displayed at the front of the establishment.
New law provides additional notification requirements for food establishments that sell
unpackaged crawfish or shrimp.
New law requires the La. Department of Health to establish a reporting mechanism for
members of the public to report suspected violations and provides for limitations on liability
for individuals who report.
New law repeals provisions in the Sanitary Code relative to Chinese seafood.
Effective January 1, 2025.
(Amends R.S. 39:2101 and R.S. 40:5.5.2 and 5.5.4; adds R.S. 3:4706; repeals R.S.
40:4(A)(1)(b) and R.S. 56:578.14)