March 21, 2016 — The Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA), the industry’s organization committed to advancing and protecting Louisiana’s restaurant and foodservice industry, has awarded the Gulf Seafood Institute (GSI) a $50,000 grant to advocate for one of the most important menu items from New Orleans to Shreveport – Gulf seafood.
“Over the past couple of years, we have spent more time advocating for equitable fishing policies and improved data collection, things important for our industry to maintain it source of supply,” said Stan Harris, CEO of the Association while on a trip to Capitol Hill with GSI members. “It became clear to us there was not a central point that we could go to work with the harvesters, to work with the charter-for-hire industry, as well as the chefs and distributors. GSI gives us the opportunity to be able to do that because it convened all these different voices to advocate in a positive manner.”
According to Harris, the goals of GSI align with needs of LRA members, especially those that are in the segment that serve a lot of fresh Gulf seafood to customers coming from around the world. The story of Louisiana and Gulf seafood is all about sustainability and locality.
The LRA was established in 1946 to advocate on behalf of the state’s foodservice and hospitality industry among elected officials and regulatory agencies within Louisiana and through it’s partnership with the National Restaurant Association, address the same issues with federal agencies.
It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates the LRA Self Insurer’s Fund for Workers’ Compensation and the LRA Education Foundation. The nine state chapters are composed of restaurants, caterers, hotels, suppliers and related businesses.