USA.- For the month of December, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that 3 out of the 78 (3.8%) total seafood entry line refusals were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. Additionally, the FDA updated its reporting for the month of November to include an additional three entry line refusals of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
Subject to further revisions of the December figures by the FDA in the future, there were a total of 53 shrimp entry lines refused for reasons related to banned antibiotics last year. This is the smallest number of shrimp entry lines refused for banned antibiotics by the FDA since 2006, but only slightly below last year’s total of 55.
The three additional shrimp entry line refusals for November and the three shrimp entry line refusals for December were from two exporters:
Minh Phu – Hau Giang Seafood Joint Stock Company (Vietnam), a company that is not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”), Import Alert 16-127 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Crustaceans Due to Chloramphenicol”), or Import Alert 16-129, had three entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on November 27, 2018; and
Zhanjiang Longwei Aquatic Products Industry Co., Ltd. (China), a company that is not currently exempted from Import Alert 16-131 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquacultured Shrimp, Dace, and Eel from China – Presence of New Animal Drugs and/or Unsafe Food Additives”), had two entry lines refused for breaded shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and unsafe additives and oneentry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and unsafe additives by the Division of West Coast Imports on December 6, 2018.
The FDA also revised its November reporting to include the refusal of three entry lines of shrimp from Paragon Sea Foods (India) in November due to the presence of salmonella.
Source: Southern Shrimp Alliance
