Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published detailed data regarding 43 total seafood entry line refusals in August, of which five (11.6%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.
Through August of this year, the FDA has refused a total of 53 entry lines of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics and remains on track to refuse the largest number of entry lines of shrimp for veterinary drug residues since 2016.
The five shrimp entry lines refused for antibiotic residues in August were for shipments from four companies located in India, Hong Kong, and Vietnam:
- M/s. Munnangi Sea Foods (India), a company that is currently listed on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of June 14, 2022, had two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans by the Division of Southeast Imports on August 15, 2022;
- Falcon Marine Exports Ltd. (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 one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and poisonous chloramphenicol by the Division of Southeast Imports on August 15, 2022;
- Lee Fung Marine Products Trading Co. (Hong Kong), 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 one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and an unsafe additive by the Division of West Coast Imports on August 5, 2022; and
- Trong Nhan Seafood Company Limited (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 one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with nitrofurans and veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on August 18, 2022.