Mississippi’s Seafood Labeling Law took effect on Tuesday, July 1, under the direction of the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC) and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR). Begun on July 1, all seafood, including shrimp, and crawfish sold in Mississippi—whether in grocery stores, seafood markets, restaurants or food trucks—must be clearly labeled as either imported or domestic.
“We at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce are proud to play a role in this historic effort,” said Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, Andy Gipson. “This labeling law both strengthens consumer confidence and supports our hardworking domestic seafood producers and local fishermen, especially those along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
Under the new law, all wholesalers, processors, retailers and food service establishments are required to properly label seafood and crawfish as either: “Domestic”—if harvested, raised and processed in the U.S.; or “Imported”—if harvested, raised and/or processed outside the U.S.
“Our goal is to educate before we regulate, which is why we’re providing information and interim signage and wording that can be used in labeling,” said Gipson. “Director Spraggins and I have asked our staff to develop sample materials and resources for businesses and vendors, which can now be found on MDAC’s and MDMR’s websites. I want to thank and commend our agencies’ dedicated teams for their excellent and hard work on this. We anticipate that the official signage will be developed, branded and recommended by the Seafood Labeling Task Force over the coming weeks.”
Labels must be clearly displayed on menus, packaging, sales displays or any public advertisement where seafood or crawfish is sold or promoted, and signage is permitted to satisfy the law where appropriate, per the attached fact sheet. To ensure visibility, the labeling text must be at least as large as the product name. If domestic and imported products are combined, the product must be labeled as “Imported.” MDMR and MDAC will jointly oversee the new labeling requirements by conducting inspections of businesses statewide to ensure compliance.
MDAC’s Consumer Protection Division has begun conducting seafood labeling inspections in restaurants, as well as grocery stores and other retail establishments where sanitation, price verification, packaging, scale and country of origin labeling checks are already performed. MDAC Consumer Protection inspectors located throughout the state will conduct seafood labeling inspections across Mississippi’s upper 76 counties. MDMR will be the primary agency in the six southernmost counties along the coast, and MDAC will assist as requested.