logo
  • Our Story
    • 25th Anniversary
  • Products
    • Frozen Fillets
    • Frozen Nuggets
  • Our Catfish
  • Recipes
  • Blog
  • Wholesale
    • Retail
    • Food Service
    • About Heartland
    • Our Processing Facility
    • Product Offerings
      • Fillets
      • Splits
      • Strips
      • Nuggets
      • Whole
      • Hand-Breaded Style Portion Fillets
      • Hand-Breaded Style 3-5oz Fillets
    • Company News
  • Contact
logo
Heartland Catfish
Prev
0
Life as a Farm-Raised Catfish: Explaining the Catfish Lifecycle
14 September 2021
Next
0
Spinach Stuffed Catfish Fillets
22 October 2021
News
The Anatomy of a Fresh Packaged Seafood Label

Important things to look out for as required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

When consumers visit the grocery store in search of the safest and healthiest seafood options, they tend to gravitate towards the label. According to the Journal of Education and Health Promotion, nearly 58% of consumers “don’t understand” food label information. Understanding a seafood label allows the consumer to avoid potential allergens, learn how the seafood was produced and find the healthiest options.

Heartland Catfish Company is celebrating National Seafood Month and to help consumers make the most informed decisions we are breaking down the anatomy of a fresh-packaged seafood label according to FDA standards.

The seafood you buy is either harvested from its natural habitat or an aquaculture operation. Using aquaculture methods, Heartland Catfish raises catfish from egg to harvest to create a healthy environment for our catfish. Let’s take a look at the most important sections of the seafood label.

1.  Method of Production

The method of production indicates the raising conditions of your seafood. Wild-caught seafood is seafood that has been captured in its natural habitat. It is traditionally imported and not as heavily regulated. However, U.S. farm-raised seafood, like that of Heartland Catfish, is strictly protected from groundwater pollution because they live in man-made agricultural ponds, which ensures safety of the seafood and ultimately the safety of the consumer.

2. Name of Seafood

The name of seafood represents the identification or type of the seafood. Seafood has specific industry guidance on correctly labeling fish. The Seafood List is a source that facilitates consistently named seafood species. This helps the consumer understand how seafood is properly identified.

3. Inspection Label

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection label and establishment number must be present on a fresh-packaged seafood label. The Inspection label and establishment number means that the seafood has been fully-passed by the USDA and FDA regulations. Regulations on inspection methods are to protect consumers from mislabeled and misbranded information.

4. Brand

Identified Brand allows consumers the ability to recognize trusted brands. Peace of mind while shopping for seafood or any food item is a necessity. When the brand is on the label; the shopping experience is one-step easier. If brand is not listed on your label, ask a store representative at your seafood counter what brand you are purchasing.

5. Cooking & Safe Handling Instruction

The Safe Handling Instructions must appear in a hairline box on a seafood label. The specifications must include a refrigeration recommendation, a raw seafood warning and a minimum cooking temperature. The safe handling and cooking instructions provide guidance on recommended internal temperatures, refrigeration and cooking time. We encourage all customers to read and adhere to these handling and cooking instructions.

6. Nutrition Facts & Ingredients

The Nutrition Facts provide information on serving size, calories and daily percentages based on a 2000 calorie diet. As required by the FDA, the ingredient list must contain all product content to be passed through inspection. The nutrition facts and ingredients are beneficial to the consumer because it assists you in making the healthiest choices for your diet.

7. Location of Manufacturer

Although the location of manufacturer is often the smallest part of the label, packing location is still a very important part of a seafood label. Similar to brand, knowing the manufacturer location allows the consumer to easily trace the product back to the company for quality purposes.

 

Now that you understand the anatomy of a fresh packaged seafood label, you are ready to make informed decisions for the healthiest and safest seafood options at the grocery store. Of course, we recommend U.S. farm-raised Catfish, but no matter what varieties of seafood you purchase for you and your family, product type and production method, company location, inspection verification and preparation safety should be top of mind.

Hannah Jones

Categories

  • Appetizers
  • Baked
  • Entrees
  • Fried
  • Grilled
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches
  • Sauteéd
  • Soups

Search For A Recipe

CONTACT:
(662) 254-7100
info@heartlandcatfish.com
ADDRESS:
55001 Highway 82 West
Itta Bena, Mississippi 38941 US
Image icon
USCatfish Logo
Small Heartland Catfish logo

Heartland Catfish Company is committed to supplying our customers with the highest quality U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish products by offering outstanding customer service, at the best value. Our commitment is exhibited in our strict quality standards, state-of-the-art processing facilities and our experienced team.

© 2025 Heartland Catfish – Website Built and Maintained by TRINDGROUP

Employee Portal          Resources          Privacy Policy          Contact Us

logo
This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT