Have you ever wondered where the crabs or crab meat that you are eating came from? Only a small number of restaurants in Maryland reliably make their crab cakes from local crabmeat, and the state does not require restaurants to identify the specific source of the meat in crab cakes.
The state is signing up participating restaurants and caterers now, and the list has just been released, according to DNR Fisheries Marketing Director Steve Vilnit.
True Blue, a new labeling and promotion initiative from The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), hopes to give restaurants that do use Maryland crabmeat a claw up on those that fill their crab cakes with inexpensive imported meat from Indonesia and Venezuela.
“Diners and seafood shoppers have let us know that it’s hard for them to tell if they are buying true Maryland Blue Crab meat or not when ordering from menus or at the market,” Vilnit said. The True Blue program will outfit participating restaurants with authorized True Blue logos, signage and labeling.
“We’re not saying that imported crab meat can’t be delicious,” said Vilnit. “We just happen to believe that fresh Maryland crabs are better.” Participating restaurants must commit to use exclusively Maryland crab meat to qualify for the program.
Zeffert and Gold Catering is proud to be one of the 84 Maryland food service providers to participate in the program.
This article is courtesy of The Baltimore Sun
