Texas Legislature Passes Legislation Requiring Truthful Shrimp Labeling in Restaurants and Asks Federal Government to Curb Unfairly-traded, Unsafe Imports

Texas Legislature Passes Legislation Requiring Truthful Shrimp Labeling in Restaurants and Asks Federal Government to Curb Unfairly-traded, Unsafe Imports
Soon, anyone ordering a dish with “Texas shrimp” or “Gulf shrimp” or “American shrimp” or “Domestic shrimp” in a restaurant in Texas can do so with confidence that they will be served shrimp sourced from the United States.

Yesterday, by a vote of 141 to 0, the Texas House of Representatives passed SB 823 just five days after the Texas Senate passed the bill by a vote of 28 to 3.

The legislation requires all food service suppliers, wholesalers, distributors, and wholesale distributors selling shrimp in Texas to include a label with “clear and conspicuous notice stating whether the shrimp is imported.” Further, the law prohibits restaurants from labeling or representing imported shrimp as “Texas shrimp,” “Gulf shrimp,” “American shrimp,” or “Domestic shrimp.” If there is any violation of these requirements, the legislation authorizes the Texas Health Department, a public health district, a county, or a municipality to impose an administrative penalty. Once signed by the Governor, the law takes effect on September 1, 2025.

SB 823 was introduced by Senator Mayes Middleton (R-11th District), representing Galveston, as a companion bill to HB 735, a bipartisan bill primarily authored by State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson (R-HD23), jointly authored by State Representatives AJ Louderback (R-HD30), Christian Manuel (D-HD22), Oscar Longoria (D-HD35), and Todd Hunter (R-HD32), and co-authored by State Representatives Sheryl Cole (D-HD46), Charles Cunningham (R-HD127), Pat Curry (R-HD56), Gary Gates (R-HD28), Caroline Harris Davila (R-HD52), Carrie Isaac (R-HD73), David Lowe (R-HD91), John Lujan (R-HD118), Shelley Luther (R-HD62), Mike Olcott (R-HD60), Angelia Orr (R-HD13), Joanne Shofner (R-HD11), Valoree Swanson (R-HD150), and Denise Villalobos (R-HD34). The ultimate language adopted in SB 823 was similar to language in HB 1958, a bill authored by State Representative Janie Lopez (R-HD37) and jointly authored by State Representatives Todd Hunter (R-HD32), Denise Villalobos (R-HD34), and Wesley Virdell (R-HD53).

In addition, the Texas Senate also voted yesterday to approve HCR 76, a resolution authored by State Representative A.J. Louderback (R-HD30), co-authored by State Representatives Terri Leo-Wilson (R-HD23) and Janie Lopez (R-HD37), and sponsored in the Senate by Senator Adam Hinojosa (R-17th District). The Texas House of Representatives had already voted on May 19th, by a margin of 133 to 8, to approve the resolution. HCR 76 explains that the shrimp industry in Texas supports more than 14,000 jobs and generates roughly $850 million in economic value for the state each year, but that the future of the industry is in jeopardy due to the glut of low-priced, unfairly-traded imports in the U.S. market. In response, the resolution states:

“That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby urge the federal government to curb the mass importation of foreign shrimp into the United States to protect the Gulf Coast shrimping industry from unfair competition and to protect consumers from substandard shrimp that does not meet U.S. health standards . . .”

Throughout this legislative process, efforts to support the shrimp industry and provide Texas consumers with the ability to choose domestic shrimp was championed by the Texas Shrimp Association, the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association, and SeaD Consulting. Moreover, in the May 19th hearing held before the Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Committee of the Texas Senate, a representative of the Texas Restaurant Association appeared in support of the legislation.

“Texas’s legislature has proven that there are common sense ways that we can all agree on to ensure that consumers have the option of choosing domestic shrimp when they dine out,” said John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “The Southern Shrimp Alliance is grateful for the incredible leadership demonstrated by State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson, the work of all of Texas’s legislators involved, and the commitment shown by the Texas Shrimp Association and the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association to get this done for an industry that desperately needs the community’s support.”

Sad this has to be a law, but I’m not opposed to it.

Always felt the “Alright” store would be a hit. Every review is 3 stars, “it was alright”

Just be honest. Customer will appreciate it more than a piss poor attempt at something.

Living on the gulf coast myself, I appreciate it. Sad it’s necessary. Wild caught Gulf shrimp is not THAT much more than farmed raised. There’s a few restaurants that you can tell are using farm raised. Gulf shrimp tastes SO much better especially when fresh. If you ever saw a video on how farm raised shrimp is cultivated it would turn your stomach. I typically do not eat seafood at a restaurant unless it’s shrimp added to a steak as a side. We typically would go to A 90 year old fish market in Pensacola and get fresh fish or shrimp if we are having a shrimp boil or fish fry.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ElToro,

I support this because so many people assume its local and should be given the information to make that choice. I love seafood on North/South Padre but some places use the word play to avoid the source and there is a difference. If it is not local or wild caught that is perfectly fine but let the consumer know. What happens is with so much tourism restaurants assume they will never see that customer again.

Where does seafood come from?..the Ocean..end of story.

Louisiana has a law in reference to resturants serving fried catfish when actually they are serving some other type of fish... Numerous resturants have been caught and had to pay fines... If advertised as catfish they have to be able to prove it when inspected..... Now instead they just say fried fish on the menu instead of fried catfish .................................. drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by urbanwarrior238:
Where does seafood come from?..the Ocean..end of story.

Not necessarily- That's why they passed the law.

My Dad was a store manager- He once told of a supplier delivering shark meat punched out to look like scallops.

I absolutely want to know source and farmed/wild. And in supermarkets as well as restaurants. Especially sushi.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I absolutely want to know source and farmed/wild. And in supermarkets as well as restaurants. Especially sushi.

Supermarket shrimp got me an ambulance ride to the ER, despite not being allergic to shellfish. I reacted to something in the farm raised, imported shrimp. I've been enjoying shrimp all my life but next time could be fatal, so no more shrimp in my diet. Since I don't know what I reacted to, I now carry epipens when eating out.

I will not eat farm raised anything. I wish everywhere made them disclose what the food is that they are serving.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

I will not eat farm raised anything.

Where do you get your bacon?

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Where do you get your bacon?

I eat only free-range grass-fed bacon.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Where do you get your bacon?

I eat only free-range grass-fed bacon.

Organic, free-range, grass fed, grass finished bacon?

California would flip out if they did this.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
I will not eat farm raised anything. I wish everywhere made them disclose what the food is that they are serving.

Won’t eat farm- raised, or won’t eat “farm-raised”. Cause growing up on a farm I can tell you the former is where it’s at.

You grew up on a fish farm?

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
You grew up on a fish farm?

Careful Shakespeare, I believe you said, “I will not eat farm-raised anything” (ignore my grammatically correct hyphen)

So quantifying it as seafood now, even given the thread title, seems disingenuous.

Sad a law had to be passed for this, but I would like to know where the seafood comes from at a restaurant. I try not to eat out much as I know how something was made and the ingredients when I make it myself. I do know where it comes from when I go to my grocery store as they have signs saying where it came from as in country and if farm raised, wild caught, fresh or previously frozen. When I buy shrimp, I almost always buy Texas wild caught gulf shrimp. I know they are fresher and trust them more than somewhere like a country in South America, I think they are higher quality, and I always want to buy USA when I can. I can see the difference just looking at them. Yes, at times I still buy and eat seafood from other countries if it looks good.

I love shrimp, but hate peeling and deveining them. Sometimes I am tempted to just buy the already peeled and deveined shrimp from a foreign country and wonder why none of the Texas Gulf shrimp are sold that way and imagine a bunch of forced labor kids sitting there peeling and deveining the shrimp.

Where I live there is no better tasting fish (some come close tho) than Lake Erie Perch. I’ve noticed restaurants and grocery stores are now listing some Perch as Lake Perch. No mention of Lake Erie. It does make a difference. Before I figured it out I had ordered it twice and wondered why it wasn’t as good as it should be. I see this as a good law.

quote:

Originally posted by braillediver:


My Dad was a store manager- He once told of a supplier delivering shark meat punched out to look like scallops.

We got suspicious when the scallops were shaped like little Christmas trees and gingerbreadmen.