--- title: HB 117. Food service establishments; require notification of the country of origin of seafood items collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb117 cite_as: HB 117, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb117 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb117.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb117/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69470 date: 2026-05-06 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb116.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb118.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 1535 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb117.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 117 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-05-06 last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 sponsors: - Jesse Petrea - Al Williams - Rick Townsend - Buddy DeLoach - Lehman Franklin - Ben Watson text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB117/2025 upstream_id: 1929371 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - food labeling - seafood origin - restaurant regulations - consumer protection --- # HB 117. Food service establishments; require notification of the country of origin of seafood items ## Text House Bill 117 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representatives Petrea of the 166th, Williams of the 168th, Townsend of the 179th, DeLoach of the 167th, and Franklin of the 160th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 13 of Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to food service establishments, so as to require notification of foreign imported shrimp; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article 13 of Chapter 2 of Title 26 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to food service establishments, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "26-2-378.1. All food service establishments in this state that serve foreign imported shrimp shall conspicuously display on their menus a disclosure by each menu item containing shrimp stating 'FOREIGN IMPORTED,' or on placards visible to the public 'FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP.' This Code section shall not apply to a food service establishment operated by a state agency, as such term is defined in Code Section 48-8-14." SECTION 2. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would require restaurants and other food service establishments that serve foreign imported shrimp to clearly label those dishes as 'FOREIGN IMPORTED' on menus or placards. ### Plain-language summary Currently, Georgia food service establishments are not required to tell customers whether the shrimp on their menu comes from another country. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's food service establishment laws (O.C.G.A. § 26-2-378.1) requiring any restaurant or food service establishment that serves foreign imported shrimp to disclose that fact. Establishments must either mark each menu item containing shrimp with the words 'FOREIGN IMPORTED' or post a visible placard reading 'FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP.' The requirement does not apply to food service establishments run by a state agency, using the definition of state agency found in Georgia's tax code (O.C.G.A. § 48-8-14). The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not include a separate stated effective date beyond standard enactment. ### What it does - Adds a new Georgia law requiring food service establishments that serve foreign imported shrimp to disclose this on menus or placards. - Requires the disclosure to say 'FOREIGN IMPORTED' next to each shrimp menu item, or 'FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP' on a visible placard. - Exempts food service establishments operated by a state agency, as defined under Georgia's sales tax code (O.C.G.A. § 48-8-14). - Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new labeling requirement. ### Who it affects Restaurants and other food service establishments in Georgia that serve shrimp, especially those using imported shrimp, and their customers who would see the new disclosures. State agency run food service operations are exempt from the requirement. ### Why it matters Diners at Georgia restaurants would gain clearer information about whether the shrimp they order was imported, potentially affecting purchasing decisions tied to concerns about food origin, quality, or supporting domestic seafood. Restaurants would need to update menus or add placards to comply. ### Key provisions - Section 1 creates new Code Section 26-2-378.1, requiring disclosure of foreign imported shrimp on menus or placards at food service establishments. - The disclosure must appear either as 'FOREIGN IMPORTED' next to each affected menu item or as a placard reading 'FOREIGN IMPORTED SHRIMP' visible to the public. - The requirement does not apply to food service establishments operated by a state agency, as defined in O.C.G.A. § 48-8-14. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard provision clearing away inconsistent existing statutes. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-05-06) - Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-06) - Sponsors: Jesse Petrea, Al Williams, Rick Townsend, Buddy DeLoach, Lehman Franklin, Ben Watson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69470 > The history, votes, and amendments (1,535 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb117.md?full=1