Shellfish Tag Requirements

Purpose

To inform restaurant owner/operators that when purchasing live shellfish from another retailer, a copy of the original shellfish tag must be obtained and kept for 90 days by the restaurant owner/operator. Similarly, restaurants/markets that sell portions of shellfish bags must provide a copy of the original shellfish tag to their customers. The original tag must stay with the original shellfish bag. (California Retail Food Code Section 114039) If a shellfish-borne disease outbreak occurs, information to expedite the investigation and regulatory action is required by law. Accurate records are necessary to trace back shellfish to its origin.

How to comply with CalCode requirements

The California Retail Food Code (CalCode) requires:

  1. Original shellfish tags must stay with the original shellfish bag. Portions of shellfish bags must be sold to customers with a copy of the original shellfish tag.
  2. If a restaurant owner/operator purchases a portion of a shellfish bag from another retailer, the restaurant owner/operator must obtain a copy of the original shellfish tag.
  3. Shellfish tags must always stay with the shellfish until all the shellfish is sold or served.
  4. Shellfish tags and copies of shellfish tags must be kept in the order received for at least 90 days.
  5. Shellfish from different bags/boxes must not be commingled (mixing of shellfish from different bags/boxes).
  6. Shellfish without proper identification shall be considered from an unapproved source and shall be subject to impound or discarded.

Note

COMMERCIALLY PACKAGED FROZEN AND/OR SHUCKED SHELLFISH IS NOT REQUIRED TO ADHERE TO SHELLFISH TAG REQUIREMENTS.

Examples of shellfish that require tags

Oysters

Picture of an oyster

Mussels

Picture of a mussel

Scallops

Picture of a scallop

Clams

Picture of a clam

Examples of shellfish tags

The following are examples of shellfish tags:

Tag from Bay Center Mariculture Co. detailing harvest date of 4/22/10, harvest location of Willapa Bay/Stony Point/WA/B-95, type of Pacific Oysters, and quantity of 5 dozen large.
Label for Taylor Shellfish Farms showing 25 lbs of Regular Manila Clams, harvested in the State of Washington on March 24, 2009, with a wet stored lot number of WS1-19934.

Temperature requirement

All live shellfish must be received from an approved source and held at an internal temperature of 45°F or below at all times. 

Approved tag storage

The following are approved methods for maintaining tags with shellfish:

Shellfish with tags in the display tank:

A close-up of a pile of whole, uncooked clams in their shells, with a clear plastic bag and a white label visible in the center.
Fresh clams in a clear plastic container with a price tag of 1.99.

Shellfish removed from original container stored with tag/copy of tag:

A metal tray filled with fresh, raw oysters with their shells visible, and a label listing oyster information in the background.
A clear plastic bin filled with freshly harvested oysters, some still partially closed, others open showing their inner shells. A white label with black text is placed on top of the oysters, detailing information about their origin and harvest.
A stainless steel container filled with many small, light-colored clams, a white label with text and a barcode is placed on top of some of the clams.

Shellfish from different bags kept separately with proper identification tags (No commingling):

Three stainless steel trays filled with oysters on ice.

Tags stored in chronological order:

A silver pen is impaled through a stack of white paper forms.
Yellow paper tags with handwritten labels in a dark container, possibly for inventory or project tracking.

Questions?

Please contact your Environmental Specialist or contact EMD at (916) 875-8440.