White House orders Gulf seafood to restore confidence – Fishupdate.com

White House orders Gulf seafood to restore confidence Published:  06 December, 2010

THE White House has placed a big order for Gulf seafood to try to restore confidence in fish from that region.

Despite numerous pleas that Gulf seafood is perfectly safe to eat following last April’s disastrous oil rig explosion and oil spill, the American public remains wary and sales are down. Now the centre of US Government has decided to make its own gesture. It has brought in over 2,000 lbs of shrimp and crab from the Gulf for festive parties. Also on the menu is trout from the Gulf. White House executive chef Chris Comerford on the wrote on the White House blog: “Since day one, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been working with other Federal agencies and state officials to closely monitor seafood in the Gulf and ensure that the seafood that makes it to your grocery store or restaurant is safe to eat. “I’m excited to use the power of food once again to honour not only the Gulf, but some very special guests,” continued Comerford. “Tonight, the White House is hosting a holiday reception for the volunteers who worked so hard over the Thanksgiving break to put up our beautiful  decorations.  And at this event, we’ll be serving our guests a seafood bar highlighting Gulf shrimp and Florida stone crabs.” Mr Comerford added: “We at the White House are so happy to play our part in reminding Americans that Gulf seafood is not only safe — but delicious.” President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Food and Drug Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, and Chef Comerford have recently all taken  part in events to boost the image of Gulf seafood to assure consumers the products would be closely monitored and oiled seafood would not make it to market.