Maine’s lobster promotion council recently launched a new consumer protection program to ensure what’s marketed as “Maine lobster” is “the real thing.” The council is now distributing ID tags bearing the federally registered trademark “Certified Maine Lobster” to lobster dealers throughout the state. The front of the tag is imprinted with the picture of a lobster and the back with the picture of a lighthouse and the words “lobsterfrommaine.com.”
Rubber claw bands bearing the same trademark have also been distributed to Maine lobstermen and dealers.
“The issue is that consumers want Maine lobster,” said Kristen Millar, director of the promotion council. “They think that it’s better than other lobster. There’s a real strong brand preference for lobster from Maine. It’s sweeter and more tender and people prefer that flavor…I think that it [the program] will have a very positive effect [on the lobster industry.] It’s essential to protect the lobster industry’s greatest asset, which is its brand…Consumers want to know where their food comes from.”
Millar explained that the program was initiated by the council in response to growing complaints that not all lobster marketed as “Maine lobster,” really comes from Maine. She said that when other companies advertise their lobster as “Maine lobster,” they’re “usurping the value out of the Maine lobster industry and inappropriately attributing this state’s brand values to their product.” [WWF Dec. 05]
Millar said that this has been a global problem, with lobster from other areas being marketed all over the world as “Maine lobster.” She shared the example that, in some places, six-pound lobsters have been advertised as “Maine lobster” and said that Maine lobstermen don’t harvest six-pound lobsters because of this state’s harvesting regulations. She added that concern about the sustainability of the fishery is one thing that distinguishes Maine’s lobster industry from some others and that’s important to consumers.
Some people have described the ID tagging program as a promotional effort by the council, but Millar claims that it’s more of a “strategic initiative” because “it was grounded in data” collected by the council over the last several years.
“We created it with the industry,” stated Millar. “We talked to the industry extensively about its needs… Dealers are enthusiastic as well as lobstermen as well as the marketplace. It’s what the marketplace wants…This is an awareness program to let people know that the problem exists. It’s a consumer protection program. People didn’t know that they weren’t getting a Maine lobster.”
The phrase “Certified Maine Lobster. Sweet. Succulent. Sustainable. Ask for it.” will now appear on placemats and coasters. That phrase will also be printed on decals designed for display on the windows of restaurants and lobster dealers.