January 7, 2002
The Honorable Tom Ridge
Director of Homeland Security
The White
House Office of Homeland Security
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington
DC 20502
Re: Informational Labeling of Seafood
Dear Governor Ridge:
We are concerned about food security in this country. The current federal system is inefficient, inconsistent and ineffective. There is a serious lack of documentation identifying the actual sources of seafood that reaches the plates of millions of Americans each year. Now, more than ever, our government should work to create a system that will ensure a safe food supply for all Americans. Therefore, we are writing to you on behalf of the Institute for Fisheries Resources (IFR), the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) to ask for the development of mandatory Informational Labeling of Seafood.
IFR is a fisheries conservation group striving to protect marine and anadromous biological resources. PCFFA is the largest and most politically active organization of commercial fisherman on the west coast and whose main purpose is to serve as steward of the fisheries in pursuing the goal to safeguard the rights of individual fishermen and fight for the long-term survival of commercial fishing as a productive livelihood. MBA is a highly-visible and prestigious aquarium on the west coast seeking to inspire ocean conservation through a nationwide educational and public outreach campaign to promote sustainable fisheries, called the "Seafood Watch Program." In the past year we have been jointly pursuing the passage of legislation to mandate Informational Labeling of Seafood. Because of this effort we have become very well-versed in the seafood industry's import and export practices in the US. We have become familiar with the history of this effort and we continue to stay on top of the current developments that are presently unfolding on many fronts. We are writing now because of mounting evidence that America has a food system sorely lacking in security and chain-of-custody protocol. For the most part, consumers, restauranteurs, and markets do not know where their seafood product comes from. A solution to this serious problem is mandatory Informational Seafood Labeling.
The recent events in our country have caused Americans to become very aware of the need for homeland security. For most of us this means security from terror, improving airline safety, and renewed military defense. But what happens when terrorists are able to corrupt large food and water systems, or destroy bridges and transportation systems on which our present globalized and vulnerable food security depends?
However it is not only this concern for increased national security that begs for the institutionalization of this system. The seeds of a new seafood system have already been planted and have grown considerably. Recently the European Union (EU) adopted regulations requiring labeling of all fisheries and aquaculture products. This labeling regulation is intended to strengthen traceability - the ability to trace fisheries products from sea to market and allow consumers to choose their seafood according to specific criteria that might be of concern to them. All fisheries products on sale at retailers will have to be labeled with the following information: the commercial name of the species, the production method (wild or farmed) and the area where the fish was caught. The EU has set the world precedent by the passage of these new labeling regulations. In so doing the EU has focused the public's eye on the present lack of a seafood informational system of any kind in the United States.
There are many benefits that will be realized by the passage of Informational Seafood Labeling legislation. We feel that the present atmosphere begs for this legislation to be adopted by Congress for a multitude of compelling reasons:
1. Security - By putting a system in place as the EU has done we can strengthen traceability and accountability of all seafood products.
2. Consumer Right-to-Know - Accurate information on the products they eat is also what consumers increasingly demand as a fundamental consumer right-to-know. The lack of basic information has rendered informed consumer decision-making nearly impossible based upon the present system. Consumers wishing to make their own decisions regarding health and fishery sustainability are unable to do so accurately.
3. Domestic Market - Informational labeling can also serve to stimulate our domestic market. Helping our local fishermen is a true benefit of properly labeled seafood. It will help those fishermen who are attempting to fish responsibly and bring a good product to market. Without labeling, consumers are simply unable to make informed personal decisions regarding the seafood they purchase. Many other countries have taken advantage of our lack of labeling standards to flood the U.S. domestic markets and capture our world markets with inferior products, such as farmed Atlantic salmon raised in Pacific Chilean waters, or other fish caught using unsustainable methods. American fishermen must adhere to strict governmental conservation standards in our country. This results in operating costs that are much higher than that of fish producers from nations that do not have such strict environmental and labor regulations. Foreign fish producers can therefore offer products at a lower price on the US market. Labeling will serve to place the power in the consumers hands - giving them the choice to accurately choose the superior product and also support their local fishermen.
4. Foreign Market - Informational labeling can work to benefit the foreign markets as well. Some consumers can be captured by the accurate labeling of imported fish species. If they have the information available and can be assured that what they are buying is an accurately labeled product this may serve to fuel consumer confidence in quality foreign seafood products.
5. Health Safety - Labeling seafood products accurately will allow the educated consumer the ability to make decisions on whether or not to buy seafood that may come from a questionable source that would not normally be disclosed. Oil spills, high mercury levels or pollution problems in certain parts of the world are some of the issues that consumers are concerned with when making decisions on seafood purchases.
6. Sustainable Fisheries - Recognizing and rewarding those nations that are doing the right thing will foster resource responsibility and guardianship by promoting sustainable fisheries practices.
Informational labeling does not render any judgment on the sustainability of the product or the impact that its harvest has on the environment. It is purely a label to accurately indicate to the seafood consumer the products (1) species, (2) where it was caught, and (3) by what means it was caught or produced. Today, probably more than any time in history, the public wants information about its food and particularly its fish.
We ask for your full support on this issue - please read the attached articles for a debriefing on the current atmosphere surrounding seafood labeling. Actions that the Office of Homeland Security should be taking immediately include the full proactive support of mandatory informational seafood labeling. We will be in Washington, DC this month and would like the opportunity to discuss this issue with you further.
There are many compelling reasons to support the informational labeling of seafood - but taking action on the food security of millions of Americans is a most compelling one for the United States government and the Office of Homeland Security. Please do what you can to ensure our safety.
Sincerely,
William "Zeke" Grader
PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S
ASSOCIATIONS
Jennifer Dianto
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
Natasha Benjamin
INSTITUTE FOR FISHERIES RESOURCES
Similar letters were also sent to:
The Hon. Ann Veneman,
Secretary of the USDA
The Hon. Bernard Schwetz, Director of the FDA
The
Hon. Senator Ted Kennedy
The Hon. Senator Bill Frist
The Hon. Senator
Frank H. Murkowski
The Hon. Representative Anna Eshoo
The Hon.
Representative Tom Lantos
and others