FDA Reports 5 BAP-Certified Shrimp Processors Exported Antibiotic-Contaminated Shrimp to the United States in November

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released detailed data regarding sixty-nine (69) seafood entry line refusals in November, of which five (7.2%) were for shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. The FDA also released detailed information regarding another entry line of shrimp refused for the presence of veterinary drug residues in October that had not been previously formally reported through the agency’s Import Refusal Report.

The FDA has now reported refusing a total of ninety-one (91) entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to veterinary drug residues through November 2025. This is the sixth highest total for shrimp entry line refusals related to veterinary drug residues over the last twenty-four years and the most refused by the FDA in a single year since 2016.

The six (6) newly reported entry lines of shrimp refused for veterinary drug residues in October and November were attributed to shipments from five different exporters in India, Indonesia, and Vietnam.  As noted below, every one of the six exporters are Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified shrimp processors:

• Sandhya Aqua Exports Pvt Ltd Unit 2 (India), a company that currently operates under four-star BAP certifications for two shrimp processing plants (Unit II = P10833 and Unit III = P10949) with additional BAP certifications for over 90 shrimp farms, two shrimp hatcheries, and a feed mill and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”), along with Sandhya Aqua Exports Pvt. Ltd., on November 10, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on November 6, 2025;

• 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 breaded shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on October 30, 2025 and one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of Southeast Imports on November 6, 2025;

• PT. First Marine Seafoods (Indonesia), a company that currently operates under a four-star BAP certification for its processing plant (P10248) and that was added to Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) on October 28, 2025 for the presence of nitrofurans in its shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of Northeast Imports on November 12, 2025;

• Stapimex (Vietnam), a company that currently operates two processing plants with four-star BAP certifications (P10162 and P10327) and multiple BAP certifications for related shrimp farms, and that was added to Import Alert 16-127 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of All Seafood Due to Chloramphenicol”) on October 15, 2025 for chloramphenicol in its shrimp after Stapimex’s An Phu Factory had already been added to Import Alert 16-124 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs”) on June 26, 2025 for the presence of amoxicillin in its shrimp, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with poison chloramphenicol by the Division of Southeast Imports on November 20, 2025; and

• Gallant Dachan Seafood Co., Ltd. (Vietnam), a company that currently operates under a three-star processor BAP certification (P10436) and 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 All Seafood Due to Chloramphenicol”), or Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”), had one entry line refused for breaded shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on November 13, 2025.

With the reporting of another three entry lines of Indonesian shrimp refused for reasons related to banned antibiotics, the FDA has now refused a total of 26 Indonesian shrimp entry lines for veterinary drug residues this year. Between 2002 and 2024, the FDA had only reported a grand total of 40 entry lines of Indonesian shrimp refused for banned antibiotics over those 23 years. 

Finally, although not part of the FDA’s data release through its Import Refusal Report, the agency’s data dashboards indicate that a shipment of shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and unsafe additives from the Malaysian exporter Tee Ching Kiat was refused by the Division of Southeast Imports on November 26, 2025. Tee Ching Kiat is not currently included on the “green” list for Import Alert 16-136 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquacultured Shrimp and Prawn Products in all Market Forms from Peninsular Malaysia Due to the Presence of Unapproved Animal Drugs or Unsafe Food Additives”).

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.