This morning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released detailed data regarding ninety-seven (97) seafood entry line refusals in August, of which seven (7.2%) were for shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. The FDA also released detailed information regarding another two entry lines of shrimp refused for the presence of veterinary drug residues in July that had not been previously reported.
The FDA has now reported refusing a total of sixty (60) entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to veterinary drug residues in 2025. With a third of the year remaining, the FDA has already refused as many entry lines of shrimp for banned antibiotics as in all of 2022 (60) or 2023 (59).
The nine newly reported entry lines of shrimp refused for veterinary drug residues in July and August were attributed to shipments from three different exporters in India, Indonesia, and Thailand. As noted below, two of the three exporters are Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified shrimp processors:
- Falcon Marine Exports Ltd. (India), a company that currently operates under four-star BAP certifications for two processing plants (P10015 and P10647) with additional BAP certifications for over 70 shrimp farms and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on April 2, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and nitrofurans by the Division of Southeast Imports on July 28, 2025 and two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and nitrofurans by the Division of Southwest Imports on August 4, 2025;
- IT Food Industries Co Ltd (Thailand), 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 (“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 Northeast Imports on August 13, 2025; and
- PT. Pabrik Lamongan BMI (Indonesia), a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification for its processing plant (P10680) and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on June 12, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its non-breaded shrimp and on June 30, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its breaded shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on July 31, 2025, one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of West Coast Imports on August 7, 2025, one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on August 12, 2025, and two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on August 21, 2025.
Further, preliminary data released by the FDA indicates that a sixth entry line of shrimp from PT. Pabrik Lamongan BMI was refused on August 28th by the Division of Southeast Imports for nitrofurans. Confirmation of this entry line refusal will likely be made by the agency next month with the formal release of September refusal data.
Moreover, although no corresponding entry line refusal was reported for the company, Indonesia’s PT. Tamron Akuatik Produk Industri, a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification (P10704), was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on August 28, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its breaded shrimp.
Between 2019 and 2024, a grand total of just two entry lines of Indonesian shrimp were refused for reasons related to banned antibiotics. Based on the refusals formally confirmed by the FDA alone, the agency has already refused four times as many entry lines of Indonesian shrimp in the first eight months of this year and that number is likely to continue to climb. Although Indonesian shrimp aquaculture has not been previously associated with the abuse of banned antibiotics, the FDA’s actions this year appear to indicate that something has significantly changed with respect to Indonesian shrimp farming.
Not all of the agency’s reporting was bad news for the Indonesian shrimp industry. For the first time since January, the FDA did not report refusing any entry lines of shrimp from Indonesia’s Mega Marine Pride in August due to deficiencies with the labeling of sulfites that were present in its shrimp.
However, the FDA nevertheless continued to take action to address economically motivated adulteration in shrimp shipments to the U.S. market, with a particular focus on Indonesian shrimp. Specifically, the Division of Northeast Imports and the Division of Southeast Imports each reported refusing an entry line of shrimp from Indonesia’s PT. First Marine Seafoods for “added bulk” in August.
In addition to these entry line refusals, the FDA recently added three BAP certified shrimp processors from three different countries to Import Alert 99-47, “Detention Without Physical Examination of Human Food Products That Appear to Be Adulterated for Economic Gain.” Asvini Fisheries Private Limited, a company that currently operates under two four-star BAP certifications for two different processing plants (P10168 and P10353), was added to Import Alert 99-47 on August 6, 2025. Indonesia’s PT. First Marine Seafoods, a company that currently operates under two four-star BAP certifications for two different processing plants (P10248 and P10988), was added to the same Import Alert on August 1, 2025, while Vietnam’s Ca Mau Seafood Processing & Service Joint Stock Corporation, a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification (P10392), was added to that Import Alert on September 2, 2025.