05/02/2001 03:40 PM Senate L&C

                                                                                                                                
                SB 208-FARMED SALMON DISCLOSURES                                                                            
                                                                                                                              
CHAIRMAN RANDY PHILLIPS called the Senate Labor & Commerce                                                                    
Committee meeting to order at 3:40 pm and announced SB 208 to be                                                                
up for consideration.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
MS. LORETTA BROWN, Staff to Senator Ward, read the sponsor                                                                      
statement as follows:                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     SB 208 adds  a new section relating to the  labeling and                                                                   
     advertisement  of  halibut  and  salmon  products.  This                                                                   
     section  will  allow  a  person  to  sell  or  advertise                                                                   
     halibut  or  salmon  products  as  "wild,"  "antibiotic-                                                                   
     free," "hormone  free," and dye-free" if the  product is                                                                   
     harvested  from a  river or  an ocean and  has not  been                                                                   
     raised in captivity.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
     We  have  all  seen the  beautiful  displays  of  farmed                                                                   
     salmon   at  fish   counters   or  restaurants   without                                                                   
     realizing   that  the   varying  shades   of  pink   are                                                                   
     artificially created.  Almost 100% of all  farmed salmon                                                                   
     is  artificially colored  with  either canthaxanthin  or                                                                   
     astaxanthin,   a   process   sometimes   called   "color                                                                   
     finishing"  to give  farmed  salmon the  attractive  red                                                                   
     color associated  with wild  salmon and salmon  products                                                                   
     that consumers expect.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Federal regulations  call for declaration of  the use of                                                                   
     canthaxanthin  or astaxanthin at  the retail level,  but                                                                   
     that information  is rarely  passed on to the  consumer.                                                                   
     Additionally, it  is common practice to  add antibiotics                                                                   
     and other supplements to farmed finfish diets.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     This legislation  will allow a clear distinction  to the                                                                   
     consumer  informing  them  of the  natural  benefits  of                                                                   
     "wild salmon" and "wild halibut."                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN PHILLIPS asked for a current fiscal note.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. BROWN responded that it wasn't ready yet.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR LEMAN  noted on page 3, line  24 talks about how  a person                                                              
can  label  and  advertise  halibut and  salmon.  It  says,  "…may                                                              
indicate that the product or the  halibut or salmon in the product                                                              
is free  from colors  and additives, if  the product  is harvested                                                              
from a  river or  ocean and has  not been  raised in captivity  or                                                              
under control  for its entire  life." and  it should say,  "if the                                                              
product  is free from  colors and  additives".  We don't want  the                                                              
condition  to be  saying you  can  advertise that  it's free  from                                                              
colors  and additives  just because  it  was raised  in the  wild.                                                              
"What if  someone takes  pink or chum  salmon, which is  light and                                                              
wants to add  artificial colors to it? We shouldn't  allow them to                                                              
advertise that as being additive-free."                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MS. BROWN agreed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  LEMAN moved  a conceptual  amendment saying  that it  may                                                              
indicate the product or salmon in  the product is free from colors                                                              
and additives, if it is free. There  were no objections and it was                                                              
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR LEMAN  moved to pass CSSB  208(L&C) out of  committee with                                                              
individual recommendations.  There were  no objections and  it was                                                              
so ordered.