The poke you buy at the supermarket could soon be getting a country of origin label.
That’s if the state Legislature passes a measure like House Bill 534 or its companion bill, which would require retailers selling raw ahi to disclose the nationality of the fishing fleet.
“There's probably going to be 20,000 pounds of ahi poke sold today for pau hana. And 90% of that is foreign-imported, carbon monoxide-treated and previously frozen,” said Eric Kingma, executive director for the Hawaiʻi Longline Association, in testimony to House lawmakers Friday.
Kingma described one of the top concerns for local commercial fishers.
“There's often very little demarcation in the poke counter at retail on the product. Retailers can still use their marketing strategies and say 'locally prepared' or 'freshly prepared' — even though that is very confusing for consumers — but the origin will be there for consumers, really, to make their own informed choice,” he added.
Industry leaders say that imported fish is cheaper and can undercut locally caught fish. Imported fish can also be frozen and gas-treated to look fresher than it is.
But imported fish and locally caught fish can be advertised the same way.
A country of origin label would be good for consumers, advocates say.
The measure said that it’s “concerned that most consumers that buy ahi at local retail establishments falsely believe that previously frozen, gas-treated ahi is caught by Hawaiʻi fisheries.”
According to HB534, a majority of ahi — bigeye or yellowfin tuna — is sold by retailers as poke or in sushi. Federal law requires labels on products like raw fish fillets, but those requirements don't apply to dishes with other ingredients.
The Hawaiʻi commercial fishing industry is worth around $100 million and is among the largest local protein and food producers.
Clearer labels could help the crews of the 140 or so Hawaiʻi-based commercial longline boats. They’ve struggled to make a living lately for several reasons, including the importation of cheaper, foreign-caught fish that undercut locally caught fish.
Inflation and stagnant prices of fish sold at the Honolulu Fish Auction also contribute to their struggles.
The measure follows labeling laws passed by the state Legislature last year to protect coffee and macadamia nut farmers in Hawaiʻi. This year lawmakers are trying to add more labeling laws for those farmers and their products.
