Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published detailed data regarding 57 total seafood entry line refusals in March, of which three (5.3%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
Over the first quarter of 2022, the FDA has refused a total of 23 entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
The three shrimp entry lines refused in March were all for shipments from one company in India:
- Nekkanti Sea Foods Limited (India), 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 three entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of Southeast Imports on March 16, 2022.
In addition to these shipments, the Division of West Coast Imports refused five entry lines of Ecuadorian shrimp manufactured by Reypezpacific S.A. for being filthy, while the Division of the Northern Border Imports, the Division of Northeast Imports, and Division of West Coast Imports each refused one entry line of shrimp manufactured in India, from three different companies, for being filthy and contaminated with salmonella, and the Division of Southwest Imports refused one entry line of shrimp manufactured in Mexico for being contaminated with listeria and one entry line of shrimp manufactured in Mexico for being contaminated with salmonella.