The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published data reporting that there were 107 total seafood entry line refusals in April, of which 6 (5.6%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
Through the first third of this year, the FDA has now refused more entry lines of antibiotic-contaminated shrimp than were refused in all of 2020.
The six shrimp entry lines refused in April for reasons related to antibiotics were for shipments from three exporters in Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam:
· Southern Foods Ltd. (Bangladesh), a company that is listed on Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”) as of February 18, 2021 for oxolinic acid in its shrimp as well as Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of February 3, 2021, had three entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 16, 2021;
· Apex Frozen Foods Pvt Ltd (India), a company that is currently listed on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of December 16, 2020, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 2, 2021; and
· Can Tho Import Export Fishery Limited Company, aka CAFISH (Vietnam), 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, 2021, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 28, 2021 and one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on April 20, 2021.
About the Southern Shrimp Alliance
The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is an organization of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warmwater shrimp producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
