News Coverage
Bill requires restaurants to identify farmed salmon
Local restaurateur asks why law is necessary
Published March 7, 2004
A proposed law that would require restaurants to disclose on their menus whether the salmon they serve is wild or farmed wouldn't be a hardship for Hangar on the Wharf, because the restaurant serves wild salmon exclusively.
But manager Rob Sanford questions whether Senate Bill 282 is really necessary.
"If somebody can ask just as easily if you're serving farmed or fresh fish, I don't know why we should post that," Sanford said.
He said during the summer Hangar waitstaff often are asked whether the fish is wild, but the restaurant's winter clientele consists largely of regulars who already know.
Bill sponsor Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, said the bill would put the same requirements on fish served in restaurants as on fish sold in grocery stores. A law passed two years ago requires that farmed finfish be identified as such on its retail labels.
"Restaurant consumers in Alaska deserve the same notice as retail consumers," Elton said.
The bill passed the Senate Resources Committee on Friday with little ado. Committee chairman Sen. Scott Ogan, R-Wasilla, said he was concerned that the measure would require restaurants to incur undue expense printing new menus, but supported the bill overall.
"I always ask. I won't eat farmed fish, that's just all there is to it. I support what you're doing here," Ogan said.
Kristen Ryan, director of the Department of Environmental Conservation's Division of Environmental Health, didn't expressly oppose the bill but said it would create an additional burden for her division.
"We see it increasing our workload because of complaint investigation primarily," Ryan said.
She said she expects to receive many calls from citizens suspicious that restaurants aren't complying with the bill or are even lying on their menus. She also said the bill's definition of a food establishment is different from DEC's definition.
Elton said he would work with DEC on the bill.
Elise Hsieh of the Department of Law testified that the bill could clash with the federal country-of-origin-labeling regulations that are being drafted. The regulations, which are not in effect yet, will require retail fish products to be labeled with the country of origin. The packaging also will have to specify whether the fish is wild or farmed. But the regulations specifically exempt restaurants.
"The bill does specifically exclude restaurants and that does leave questions," Hsieh said.
SB 282 goes to the Senate Finance Committee next.