Quote:
Originally Posted by bmac
On this point I think stringent rules are appropriate as needed for public health concerns. 50 years ago I'll bet most people buying seafood from roadside stands were going to consume that food within a few miles of where it was bought. If a seller was unscrupulous and selling old product then it was relatively easy to track them down.
Today with advances in refrigeration and chemicals to keep the product looking fresh longer, added to people traveling long distances from where they bought the food to where it is consumed, you could run into all kinds of health problems. I think a reasonable person would agree that regulation is needed in today's world.
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Sure, there should be some reasonable food safety regulations to ensure public health.
But look at the overall bureaucratic burden by the time the currently applicable food safety regulations, commercial licensing regulations, insurance requirements, commercial fishing regulations, state and federal tax laws, boating regulations, zoning laws, and who knows what else need to be met simultaneously. The barrier to entry is so high, and the upfront investment in time and expense to meet all the requirements is so demanding that most aspiring entrepreneurs simply won't bother for a seasonal or occasional product availability.
My wife and I owned and operated a small farm business in Ohio for a decade. We raised and sold beef, lamb, grapes, apples, vegetables, and other farm products both from the farm property and at local farmer's markets. Encroaching legal requirements and rapidly rising insurance costs constantly raised the burden of keeping a business profitable on gross revenues in the five figure range. The overall burden on a small seafood business in Louisiana is much, much greater, and complying with all the rules for a harvester to have a direct retail outlet will require either extensive existing infrastructure (property and capital already paid for) or a six figure annual gross revenue, both in many cases.
When I stop at a roadside stand to buy shrimp or crawfish, I understand that there is a level of risk different from the supermarket, but I am willing to personally accept those risks to gain a fresher, better product (often at a lower price and in bulk quantities) than the supermarket. Those who are not capable of assessing the risks by inspecting the product, the storage conditions, and looking the vendor in the eye and asking a few key questions should stick to buying their seafood at brick and mortar shops. Walmart has plenty of talapia.