July 25, 2019 LDH to begin enforcement of new crawfish and shrimp labeling law

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jul 25, 2019 - Following action by the Louisiana Legislature and Gov. John Bel Edwards, restaurants and distributors that offer cooked or prepared crawfish or shrimp must notify their customers if these seafood items came from outside the United States. The notice must be printed on menus.

Gov. Edwards signed the legislation, Act 372, into law on June 20, 2019.

The Louisiana Department of Health will begin to enforce the law on September 1, 2019.

The menu notice must be immediately adjacent to the menu listing of the seafood item, and must be in the same font, size and shade as the item listed on the menu.

The law allows for the notice to be paper-clipped to the menu, with the same location, font and shade restrictions required on menu labeling.

• Provide a sign posted at the main entrance to the establishment that states: “Certain crawfish and shrimp originate from a foreign country.”
• The sign must be at least 18 inches tall and 18 inches wide, written in English.
• Lettering must not be less than 1 inch in size.
• The sign must be posted in a conspicuous location not less than 36 inches from the floor.

Questions about the law and its enforcement can be directed to [email protected].