This morning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published detailed data regarding 50 seafood entry line refusals in May, of which one (2.0%) was for shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. The FDA also released information regarding an additional four entry line refusals of shrimp in April for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
As indicated in the table below, in the first five months of 2024, the FDA has refused a total of 41 entry lines of shrimp for the presence of veterinary drug residues.
The five entry lines of shrimp refused for banned antibiotics in April and May were for shipments of shrimp from two exporters in India. Both exporters currently operate under Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certifications:
- Calcutta Seafoods Pvt. Ltd. (India), a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification for its processing plant (P10567), with additional BAP certifications for multiple shrimp farms, and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) for its shipments of shrimp on July 19, 2023, had four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 30, 2024; and
- Devi Seafoods Limited (India), a company that currently operates under four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certifications for two processing plants (Plant 1 = P10010; Plant 2 = 10011), with an additional BAP certification for a shrimp farm (“Devi Farm Group 2”), and that was added to Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”) for the presence of enrofloxacin, gentian violet, leucogentian violet, and sulfamethoxazole in its shipments of shrimp on February 1, 2024 and was also added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) for its shipments of shrimp on April 1, 2024, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on May 2, 2024.
In addition to these refusals, the FDA announced the refusals of six entry lines of shrimp from Venezuela for being filthy. The FDA also announced that an entry line of shrimp from the Indonesian shrimp exporter Mega Marine Pride had been refused by the Division of West Coast Imports on May 29, 2024 for “added bulk,” an adulteration of seafood commonly referred to as short-weighting.