The US state requires catfish origins

Tennessee State government in the US has issued a new law to require country-of-origin labeling on catfish products from the Mississippi or the Mekong Delta since July 1, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

This is the third state after Mississippi and Arkasas to require restaurants and retail stores to tell customers where they get their catfish. American lawmakers reportedly said the regulation would make catfish safer for consumers and to help level a playing field for American catfish farmers.

However, the law will not hurt Vietnamese tra and basa fish exports to the market as the products are not classified as catfish given a 2002 federal mandate. In addition, most Vietnamese tra and basa fish products are exported to California and eastern states, according to VASEP general secretary Truong Dinh Hoe.

Vietnam obtained $1.7 billion in export value of fishery in the first half of this year, up 13 percent against 2009. Of which, tra and basa fish export was 250,000 tonnes worth 539 million dong, increasing 21 percent and 13 percent respectively.

Tags: Vietnam agriculture, Vietnam catfish

Posted by VBN on Jul 8 2010. Filed under Agriculture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry