U.S. tightens controls on Chinese seafood imports

Agency officials said the action, which takes effect immediately, covers farm-raised shrimp, eel, catfish, and two other kinds of fish, basa and dace, from China, which is the world's largest producer of farmed fish and the third-largest exporter of seafood to the U.S.

Importers will be allowed to distribute Chinese seafood after proving to the FDA that the products are not contaminated with illegal veterinary drugs or food products, officials said. Suppliers are required to provide a third-party laboratory analysis of their products and show documentation proving compliance with both Chinese and U.S. production standards to get imported seafood into the country, the FDA said.
Chinese fish farmers use four substances that are illegal in the U.S. to protect seafood from exposure to fungi, according to the FDA. Three have been shown to be carcinogenic and one may increase resistance to a "critically important class of antibiotics," officials said.
"FDA is initiating an import alert against several species of imported Chinese farmed seafood because of numerous cases of contamination with drugs and unsafe food additives," said Dr. David Acheson, the agency's assistant commissioner for food protection. "There is no imminent threat to public health because of the low levels of contaminants. However, the banned substances could cause serious health problems if consumed over a long period of time."
The agency is not asking for products to be withdrawn from the market, said Margaret Glavin, FDA's associate commissioner for regulatory affairs.
"We're not asking for ... people to take (seafood) out of their freezers and return it or throw it away," she said. "This is a long-term health concern, not an acute health concern.
"We don't know how much of this product is in the country," Glavin said, because there is no labeling requirement to designate the country of origin.
Shrimp and catfish are two of the 10 most frequently consumed seafood products in the U.S., according to the FDA. Chinese imports account for 7 percent of American shrimp consumption and 10 percent of catfish consumption, according to the National Fisheries Institute, a trade group.
"Consumers are going to be able to get catfish and shrimp ... at a comparable price," Stacey Viera, the group's spokeswoman, said Thursday. "For the seafood companies, this is something ... (that) will add an extra layer on the import process."
FDA officials brushed aside questions about increased scrutiny of Chinese products, saying extensive reviews dating to 2001 led to the import alerts.
"The focus recently has been on Chinese products," Acheson said.
Companies in half a dozen countries, including the Philippines and Mexico, are also on import alert for using the same contaminants, Glavin added.
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