Mercury in seafood signs will warn patrons of San Francisco restaurants and grocery stores, after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a new ordinance passed earlier this month.
The sign, which targets pregnant women and mothers of young children in English, Spanish and Chinese, falls under Proposition 65, a 1986 state law requiring public notice about chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm.
“I frankly believe that this legislation is more than just common sense, it’s consistent with state law,” said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, author of the legislation.
The supervisor said evidence exists that mercury has a “deleterious effect to women and [their] reproductive systems.”
The measure passed Nov. 1, after negotiations and amendments.
Supervisor Fiona Ma, who voted for the measure, expressed hope that “we are not discouraging people from eating seafood and fish more than it need be.”
“Our concern with the original legislation was that it would be at least in Chinese. And that there would be outreach [to inform] restaurants and food establishments.”
Bok Pon, a former San Francisco Chinese restaurant owner, supported the measure.
“Public health should come before personal profits,” he said. “Yes, it is an enforceable law. Culture has nothing to do with it. This is America. We should expect nothing less.”
However, City Hall should develop and update the content of the signs, he said. Pon feared that mom ‘n pop establishments would be vulnerable to lawsuits over the signs.
William Lee, the former director of Toxics, Health and Safety Services in San Francisco, noted that the new sign might be lost among proliferating notice requirements.
“It is getting bureaucratic,” said Lee, also supportive of the new ordinance. “You have to have a wall of notices now.”
Lee said other agencies require such public signs as disability and occupational safety requirements, health insurance, minimum wage and no smoking signs. From his experience, this is the first notice that is required in Chinese.
Lee said that city government and merchant groups like the Golden Gate Restaurants Association should hammer out a template for the sign and consider “a way you can consolidate all these notices.”
GotMercury.org and Turtle Island Restoration Network estimated, “Statewide, about 70 percent of supermarkets … were failing to properly notify customers about mercury in fish.”
“However, businesses can develop trust with consumers by providing them accurate information about the risks of eating certain fish, such as swordfish, shark or tuna,” said Todd Steiner of Turtle Island, which pushed for the ordinance.
Wilma Pang, a sponsor of culinary demonstrations through A Better Chinatown Tomorrow group, said that the measure would not impact local Chinese restaurants and groceries. “Most Chinese don’t like eating big fish,” she said. “It applies to bigger fish [like tuna, swordfish]. They tend to store more mercury in the body.”
Chinese palates are accustomed to smaller, bonier fish with a smoother and tender texture, like rock cod.
Pang noted that Chinese-language daily newspapers “are more focused on health issues [than the mainstream],” she said. “Chinese are pretty sophisticated in selecting food.”