This morning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published detailed data regarding 83 seafood entry line refusals in February, of which two (2.4%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
Through the first quarter of this year, the FDA has refused a total of fourteen entry lines of shrimp for banned antibiotics.
The two entry lines of shrimp refused for banned antibiotics in March were for shipments from the following two shrimp exporters in India and Vietnam that also both had entry lines of shrimp refused in February for veterinary drug residues:
- Mangala Seafoods (India), a company that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) for its shipments of shrimp on March 1, 2023 and was added to Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”) for chloramphenicol in its shrimp on January 25, 2023, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Northern Border Imports on March 2, 2023; and
- Hoang Phong Seafood Co. (Vietnam), a company that, despite two months of entry line refusals of shrimp contaminated with antibiotics, 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 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on March 13, 2023.
In addition, the FDA reported that the agency refused another ten entry lines of shrimp for the presence of salmonella and/or filth in March from four different shrimp exporters in India (Edhayam Frozen Foods Pvt Ltd. (filthy and salmonella); Nila Sea Foods Exports (salmonella); Orchard Marine Exports Private Limited (filthy and salmonella); and Royale Marine Impex Pvt. Ltd. (filthy)), a shrimp exporter in Indonesia (PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (filthy)), and a shrimp exporter in Vietnam (Branch Duc Thanh Seafood Company (salmonella)).