This morning, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published data reporting that there were 50 total seafood entry line refusals in February, of which 14 (28.0%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
With a total of 27 entry lines of shrimp refused for banned antibiotics through the first two months of this year, the FDA is likely to exceed the total entry line refusals reported in 2020.
The fourteen shrimp entry lines refused in February for reasons related to antibiotics were for shipments from four exporters in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and India:
- Southern Foods Limited (Bangladesh), a company that is listed on both Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”) for oxolinic acid as of February 18, 2021 and on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of February 3, 2021, had four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on February 4, 2021;
- Rupsha Fish & Allied Industries Ltd. (Factory) (Bangladesh), a company that is listed on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of February 5, 2021, had four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on February 9, 2021;
- Can Tho Import Export Fishery Limited Company, aka CAFISH (Vietnam), 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 four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on February 19, 2021; and
- Cochin Frozen Foods Exports (India), a company that is currently listed on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of March 4, 2020, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of West Coast Imports on February 6, 2021 and one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of West Coast Imports on February 8, 2021.