Sixteen seafood industry associations sent a letter on February 23, 2026 to the leadership of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and House Committee on Energy and Commerce supporting the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA) and Representative Troy Carter (D-LA) in the House (H.R. 2715), and by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in the Senate (S.3213). The Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act would provide the agency with the authority to destroy FDA-regulated goods that pose a “significant public health concern,” including seafood contaminated with banned veterinary drug residues, pesticides, poisons, or with dangerous human pathogens. Revised bill language under consideration would clarify that the FDA will require importers to destroy refused FDA-regulated products presenting a significant public health concern. Once modified, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act substantially strengthens oversight of foreign seafood sold in the U.S. market while minimizing burdens on U.S. taxpayers.
