The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released information regarding entry line refusals for the period running from Tuesday, April 18th through Friday, May 26th. For the full month of April and all but three days of May, 22 of the 227 (9.7%) total seafood entry line refusals reported have been of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
The twenty-two shrimp entry lines refused by the FDA for banned antibiotics in April and May were from China, Hong Kong, India, and Vietnam and were reported by four different FDA import divisions:
- Suryamitra Exim Pvt Ltd (India), a company that is not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, Import Alert 16-127, or Import Alert 16-129 (Suryamitra had been listed on Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans since March 15, 2017 but was removed from the list on June 2, 2017), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of Northeast Imports on April 1, 2017;
- Bluepark Seafoods (India), a company that was added to Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans in its shrimp on May 15, 2017, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Northeast Imports on April 5, 2017;
- Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (Vietnam), a company that was added to Import Alert 16-124 for sulfamethoxazole in its shrimp on February 22, 2017 after its affiliate Minh Qui Seafood Co., Ltd. had been added to that Import Alert for sulfamethoxazole in its shrimp on July 22, 2016, had four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with chloramphenicol by the Division of Southeast Imports on April 7, 2017;
- Donggang Tianquan Aquatic Food C (China), a company that has not been exempted from Import Alert 16-131, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 13, 2017;
- Narong Seafood Co., Ltd. (Thailand), a company that was added to Import Alert 16-129 for nitrofurans in its shrimp on June 13, 2016, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 18, 2017;
- Fuqing Dongwei Aquatic Products (China), a company that has been exempted from Import Alert 16-131 for breaded shrimp products only, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and unsafe additives by the Division of West Coast Imports on April 18, 2017;
- Kalyan Aqua & Marine Exports India (India), a company that is not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, Import Alert 16-127, or Import Alert 16-129, had ten entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southeast Imports on April 24, 2017;
- Good Luck Product Co., Ltd. (Thailand), a company that was added to Import Alert 16-124 for ciprofloxacin in its shrimp on May 12, 2017, had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on May 11, 2017;
- Shanhai Seafood Co., Ltd. (China), a company that has not been exempted from Import Alert 16-131, had one entry line refused for breaded shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Southwest Imports on May 16, 2017; and
- Speed Ocean Industrial Co Ltd (Hong Kong), a company that is not currently listed on Import Alert 16-124, Import Alert 16-127, or Import Alert 16-129, had one entry line refused for “Shrimp & Prawns, Cakes, Balls, etc.” contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of Northeast Imports on May 17, 2017.
Of the 47 entry lines of shrimp refused for banned antibiotics thus far in 2017, India (12) and Vietnam (12) accounted for the majority, while China (11) and Thailand (7) accounted for all but five of the remaining refusals.