On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a business meeting on the Agricultural Act of 2026, better known as the Farm Bill. During the meeting, the Committee adopted an amendment offered by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) based on the bipartisan “Let Americans Buy with Explicit Labeling Act” or “LABEL Act,” S. 3065, that would significantly improve how information regarding the country-of-origin and method of capture (wild-caught vs. farm-raised) of seafood is conveyed to American consumers at grocery stores. The LABEL Act is co-sponsored by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA).
The Committee agreed to Senator Hyde-Smith’s amendment as part of an en bloc amendment package to the Farm Bill.
The amended bill helps consumers make informed choices by making it easy to identify the source of seafood. This means that when foreign shrimp is sold in grocery store freezers in packaging featuring the American flag on the front of the bag, the country where that farm-raised foreign shrimp actually came from must also be identified. This provides Americans with greater confidence that they can purchase U.S. wild-caught shrimp, which are prized for premium flavor and texture and sustainably harvested by American fishermen to high U.S. standards.
“Consumers care about where seafood is produced. Putting an end to importers’ efforts to mislead customers about the country of origin of shrimp ensures that Americans have access to important information on the product’s quality and safety, and the supply chain’s environmental and labor practices,” said Blake Price, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Senator Hyde-Smith’s leadership and the Senate Ag Committee’s adoption of the amendment are important steps in preventing imported seafood from hijacking the strong reputation of U.S. wild-caught shrimp and fish.”
What Happened Today
The Senate Agriculture Committee today conducted a markup of the Agricultural Act of 2026 or Farm Bill 2.0 – a comprehensive measure that includes more than 100 bipartisan agricultural and nutritional measures.
Committee markups allow Senators to propose changes to a bill before it moves to the full Senate floor. Amendments are often bundled together and voted on as a group—known as “en bloc”—when they are non-controversial and have broad support. Senator Hyde-Smith’s amendment to strengthen the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s country-of-origin disclosure requirements for seafood was folded into one of these en bloc packages, and the Committee agreed to it, attaching the bill’s language to the Farm Bill 2.0.
As amended, the Farm Bill would require that sales of farm-raised and wild-caught fish include:
- The country-of-origin and harvest method information be displayed in a conspicuous location in “a font size that is not smaller than the font size describing the farm-raised fish or wild fish on the package, display, holding unit, or bin.”
- The country-of-origin designation and the wild-caught/farm-raised designation must be combined into a single disclosure and cannot be listed separately.
- For seafood sold in consumer packaging, the country-of-origin and harvest method label must appear on the front of the package and cannot be tucked away on the back.
Existing country-of-origin labeling (COOL) is typically found in fine print on the back of packages. Meanwhile, the front of the package may include patriotic colors and imagery that misleads consumers into thinking it is a preferred U.S. seafood product. These changes close gaps that let a technically compliant label still bury important information from a shopper’s view.
Why It Matters
Imported shrimp make up more than 90% of the U.S. market. American fishermen follow strict U.S. environmental, labor, and food safety standards, while competing against huge volumes of shrimp from countries where forced labor, banned antibiotics, and harmful environmental practices remain fixtures of supply chains. Easier-to-read disclosures that move information to the front of the package in readable fonts mean consumers don’t need to hunt for information about what they are buying. Instead of checking a box, the labels will be more usable.
U.S. wild-caught shrimp are preferred by consumers. Unfortunately, foreign shrimp are frequently surrounded by words (such as Captain’s, catch, and ocean), red, white, and blue colors, and imagery (including the U.S. flag) that imply it is wild-caught and/or from American fishermen when it is a farm-raised import from problematic supply chains.
Most restaurants lack disclosure laws altogether. DNA testing in shrimping states shows it is common for restaurant staff and menus to explicitly tell patrons a product is wild-caught from U.S. waters when it is not. Deceptive sales of imported, farm-raised shrimp undercut American fishermen in their own market, while harming honest companies and consumers.
What Comes Next
The Farm Bill 2.0 has not yet been reported out of committee. When the legislation clears the full committee, it will be considered by the entire Senate. On April 30, 2026, the House passed H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, by a 224–200 vote.
Ultimately, differences in the Senate and House versions will be reconciled.
Additional Resources
- Review Senator Hyde-Smith’s proposed amendment
- Read Senator Hyde-Smith’s August 6, 2026 press release “Hyde-Smith Vows to Keep Working Toward Farm Bill 2.0 Passage as Committee Democrats Block Progress”
- Read our original coverage: The LABEL Act: Shrimp Labels You Can Actually Read
- Learn more about state labeling laws: Seafood Labeling Laws