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In October, FDA Continues Crackdown on Antibiotic-Contaminated Shrimp from Bangladesh

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published detailed data this morning regarding 66 total seafood entry line refusals in October, of which 6 (9.1%) were of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics. The FDA also reported an additional 14 seafood entry line refusals in September that were not part of the agency’s reporting last month, of which one was of shrimp for reasons related to banned antibiotics.

Through October, the FDA has refused a total of 71 entry lines of antibiotic-contaminated shrimp, the highest number of entry line refusals for these reasons since 2016.

 

 

The six shrimp entry lines refused in October and the additional shrimp entry line refused in September for reasons related to antibiotics were for shipments from Bangladesh and China, as described in more detail below:
  • Yantai Wei-Cheng Food Co., Ltd. (China), a company that is not on the green list of Import Alert 16-131 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Aquacultured, Shrimp, Dace, and Eel from China – Presence of New Animal Drugs and/or Unsafe Food Additives”), had one entry line refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and unsafe additives by the Division of Southeast Imports on September 30, 2021;
  • Southern Foods Ltd. (Bangladesh), a company that is currently 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 exports and is listed twice on Import Alert 16-129 (“Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans”) as of August 30, 2016 and February 3, 2021, had two entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues and nitrofurans by the Division of West Coast Imports on October 4, 2021; and
  • Gemini Sea Food, Ltd. (Bangladesh), 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 four entry lines refused for shrimp contaminated with veterinary drug residues by the Division of West Coast Imports on October 6, 2021.
The agency’s reporting of refusals in 2021 appears to demonstrate a prioritization of addressing contaminated shrimp shipments from Bangladesh. For the year, the FDA has now reported refusing a total of 43 entry lines of shrimp exported from Bangladesh for reasons related to veterinary drug residues. In comparison, in the nineteen-year period spanning from 2002 through 2020, the FDA refused a total of just 21 entry lines of shrimp exported from Bangladesh.

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