The Trump administration intends to push for new labels on seafood sold at grocery stores to give consumers a better idea of where products originated, two U.S. officials told CBS News.
However, the “U.S. Caught Seafood” label, proposed by the Food and Drug Administration, wouldn’t be mandatory.
President Trump was expected to mention seafood during his pitch to voters in Florida on Friday afternoon. He is stumping in Fort Myers for Senate candidate Ashley Moody and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds before spending the night at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.
The White House has prepared economy-related perks to roll out in each of the states he visits in the final campaign blitz before the midterm elections.
Most seafood eaten in the U.S. is imported, government data shows. About 80% of the seafood Americans ate in 2023 came from abroad, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. commercial fishermen caught seafood valued at $5.1 billion in 2023, while the U.S. imported $25 billion worth.
The Trump administration was also preparing $5 billion in loans targeted at the fishing industry so that it can buy new equipment, according to U.S. officials. The loans would be through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.