Based on feedback from the industry, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced it adopted program rule changes to the Louisiana Wild Seafood Certification Program (LWSCP).
The program is voluntary for Louisiana seafood and was passed by the Louisiana legislature in 2012 and was developed with the intention of establishing a more professional seafood industry with better handling practices and higher quality products.
The rule changes were adopted on 20 April of the 2014 LWSCP permit year and include additional program requirements that increase consumer confidence by ensuring that only wild Louisiana seafood utilizes the LWSCP logo.
LDWF now requires additional verbiage be used when using the LWSCP logo for general marketing purposes, including promotional materials, print and television advertising, banners, and digital mediums that promote LWSCP products or participation. The approved statements to be used with LWSCP logo for general marketing are “ask us about our certified products,” or “ask us about our certified menu items.” Additional statements may be granted approval by LDWF on a case-by-case basis upon written request.
All seafood or seafood products packaged for retail sale are now required to be registered with LDWF before utilizing the logo. Products produced, packaged and sold exclusively at the location for retail sale are exempt from these registration requirements. The brand owner is responsible for obtaining a product registration, which is valid for 1 year and expires 12 months from the issue date. Product registration requires the following information: brand name, brand owner, processor/packer, species contained in the product, photo or image of package containing brand and name, and three months of invoices showing LWSCP certified seafood purchased specific to the product. Invoices may be submitted by the packager if the brand owner does not directly purchase seafood used in the product.
The program now requires supply chain verification for all retail/restaurants selling and/or serving un-packed seafood, prepared or un-prepared.
For the initial applications, each retail/restaurant wanting to participate in LWSCP must provide three months of invoices showing LWSCP certified product purchases. Applications up for annual renewal will require invoices for six months out of the last 12 months showing purchases of LWSCP certified seafood.
Brand owners wishing to register a product or retailers and restaurants needing to apply or renew their LWSCP permit must visit https://lwscpadmin.wlf.louisiana.gov to create user accounts.
