HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

55

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

expressing support for the mandatory labeling of carbon monoxide or gas treated raw fish.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, it is a priority of the Legislature to promote, support, and protect the health of the State's residents and visitors; and

 

     WHEREAS, in some cases, raw fish is treated with carbon monoxide or gas to prevent oxidation and retain its color; and

 

     WHEREAS, the carbon monoxide used on raw fish binds with hemoglobin to prevent the flesh of the fish from turning from red to brown to gray; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Food and Drug Administration has deemed carbon monoxide treated fish as "generally recognized as safe"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the European Union, Canada, and Japan have banned the use of carbon monoxide as a color stabilizer in fish because carbon monoxide or gas treated fish can mask the visual evidence of spoilage; and

 

     WHEREAS, researchers of the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department of the University of Florida found that carbon monoxide or gas treated raw fish can look fresh while hiding an underlying health hazard; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is currently no requirement that carbon monoxide or gas treated raw fish be labeled to reflect the use of carbon monoxide or gas; and

 

     WHEREAS, raw fish treated with carbon monoxide or gas may potentially mislead the public in the determination of the fish's freshness because the carbon monoxide will preserve the color of the fish, but not its quality; and

 

     WHEREAS, the labeling of carbon monoxide or gas treated raw fish can keep the public informed about the risk of spoilage that carbon monoxide or gas can mask in raw fish; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the Senate concurring, that this body expresses its support for the mandatory labeling of carbon monoxide or gas treated raw fish; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Expresses the support for the mandatory labeling of carbon monoxide or gas treated raw fish.