HB117: HB117 Food service establishments; require notification of the country of origin of seafood items

Georgia law currently has no requirement that restaurants tell customers when the shrimp on their menu comes from overseas rather than domestic waters. This bill adds a new section to the state's food service establishment laws (O.C.G.A. § 26-2-378.1) requiring any food service establishment that serves foreign imported shrimp to conspicuously disclose that fact. Restaurants and similar establishments would have to either label each menu item containing shrimp with the words 'FOREIGN IMPORTED,' or post placards visible to customers reading 'FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP.' The requirement does not apply to food service establishments run by a state agency. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not set out a separate effective date in the text provided, and despite its title referencing seafood generally, the operative language only addresses shrimp.

• Adds a new Georgia code section requiring food service establishments serving foreign imported shrimp to disclose that origin to customers.
• Requires the disclosure to appear either on the menu next to each shrimp item as 'FOREIGN IMPORTED' or on a placard visible to the public reading 'FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP.'
• Exempts food service establishments operated by a state agency from the new disclosure requirement.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this new shrimp disclosure rule.

Restaurants and other food service establishments in Georgia that serve shrimp, especially those sourcing shrimp from overseas, and by extension their customers who would see new labeling. State agency-run food service establishments are excluded from the requirement.

Diners at Georgia restaurants would gain a clearer way to know whether the shrimp they order was imported from abroad rather than caught or farmed domestically, while restaurants serving imported shrimp would need to update menus or add placards to comply.

• Section 1 adds new Code Section 26-2-378.1 to Article 13 of Chapter 2 of Title 26, covering food service establishments.
• The new section requires disclosure of foreign imported shrimp either per menu item ('FOREIGN IMPORTED') or via a placard visible to the public ('FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP').
• The requirement exempts food service establishments operated by a state agency, as defined in O.C.G.A. § 48-8-14.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the new requirement.

1. 2026-05-06Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-06Act 426
3. 2026-05-06House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-11House Agreed Senate Amend or Sub (House)
6. 2026-02-02Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (Senate)
7. 2026-02-02Senate Third Read (Senate)
8. 2026-01-28Senate Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (Senate)

• Jesse Petrea (R, HD-166)Primary sponsor
• Al Williams (D, HD-168)
• Rick Townsend (R, HD-179)
• Buddy DeLoach (R, HD-167)
• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)
• Ben Watson (R, SD-001)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 19, 2025

   165 yea, 7 nay (2 not voting, 6 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #43

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 2, 2026

   43 yea, 8 nay (2 not voting, 1 absent)

   Passage By Substitute: Senate Vote #508

3. PassedHouse voteFebruary 11, 2026

   157 yea, 8 nay (2 not voting, 8 absent)

   Agree To Senate Substitute: House Vote #500

• food labeling
• restaurant regulations
• seafood origin
• consumer protection