IL SB0312

Restaurants are prohibited from labeling menu items as containing catfish unless the item actually contains catfish, defined as any species within the family Ictaluridae.

Customers may file complaints with the Department of Public Health or local health departments by providing a copy or photograph of the menu; a formal inspection is triggered after a restaurant receives 2 separate complaints.

First violation results in a $250 fine and 14-day correction period; second violation results in a $1,000 fine; third or subsequent violations result in a $5,000 fine, license suspension, or both.

Restaurants are not liable for violations if they relied on supplier designations unless they willfully disregarded information showing the designation was false, or if they purchased and properly labeled similar fish species from the families Siluridae, Clariidae, and Pangasiidae.

The Department of Public Health is authorized to adopt rules necessary to implement the catfish labeling requirements.