Alabama
(Information provided by the National Sea Grant Law Center)
Alabama’s seafood labeling law, which went into effect October 1, 2024, requires certain food service establishments to provide information regarding the origin of their seafood products. The law applies to most fish and shellfish sold in restaurants, delis or seafood markets. Seafood suppliers that sell to these food service establishments must disclose the country of origin to the establishments. The food service establishments are not required to disclose the specific country of origin of imported seafood, but they must disclose that the products are imported and whether they are farmed-raised or wild-caught.
The law’s seafood labeling requirements vary according to the type of establishment. A retail food establishment primarily selling seafood for off-premises preparation, like a seafood market, can make a disclosure on the package, display, bin or holding unit of the product. If a retail establishment sells seafood prepared on premises and uses a menu, the disclosure may be printed on or paper-clipped to the menu, directly adjacent to the menu item. The disclosures in each instance should use the same size, font and shade as the product listing or menu item. Alternatively, either type of food service establishment may display a separate sign placed in a visible location. If using a sign, it must be at least 8.5×11 inches, posted at least 36 inches from the floor and printed in English letters measuring no less than 1 inch. For seafood establishments preparing food on-site and not using a menu, a sign meeting the specified criteria must be displayed at the entrance.
The law does not apply to:
- Any retailer already required by federal law to disclose the country of origin of fish or shellfish, including grocery stores, supermarkets and club warehouses (except in-store delis or cafes).
- Any hospital.
- Any group of 10 or more people that preorder their food items.
This law does not apply to processed seafood, such as prepackaged tuna sandwiches or fish sticks. Catfish are not covered by this law’s labeling requirements because those are handled by a different state law.
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) enforces the new seafood labeling law. The first violation of the law will result in a written warning and subsequent violation fines range from $100 to $1,000.
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