Alabama Legislature considering crawfish boils

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) – The Alabama Legislature is being asked to get involved with crawfish boils in the city of Mobile.

The bayside city has a tradition of bars cooking crawfish on the street and serving them to customers. But the Mobile County Health Department shut down the boils citing health regulations.

Two bills have now been introduced in the Legislature that would allow the curbside boils to continue. One by state Rep. Margie Wilcox would limit health department enforcement for established cultural traditions like community crawfish boils.

Health officials are against the proposal, saying the crawfish boils could lead to an increase in foodborne illnesses.

The House is expected to consider the legislation this week.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)