FDA Testing Fewer Seafood Imports, New
Report Today
Food & Water Watch Report Reveals Majority
of Refused Imports Exempt from Labeling
Regulations, Disproportionate Problems with
Shrimp Imports and Imports from China
Washington, DC - As seafood imports climb,
the percentage of shipments receiving laboratory
test inspections has fallen over the past
four years, from a measly 0.88 percent in
2003 to 0.59 percent in 2006. This was among
the findings of a new Food & Water Watch
report showing how the Food and Drug Administration's
failure to adequately inspect imports could
contribute to foodborne illnesses or other
health problems among U.S. seafood consumers.
"The
Food & Drug Administration can't find
what it's not looking for. FDA's appalling
record on inspecting seafood imports is
irresponsible and poses a real threat to
both the health of the American Public and
to homeland security," said Food &
Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter.
"Congress should take immediate action
to restore the funding they cut for inspection
of foreign processing plants and fund FDA
at appropriate levels to protect American
consumers."
Inadequate
funding and a mediocre inspection program
contributed to FDA physically inspecting
less than two percent of the 860,000 imported
seafood shipments in 2006. The report's
analysis of FDA border refusals of imported
seafood shipments from 2003 to 2006 revealed
some troubling trends: More than 70 percent
of refused imports were processed seafood
products, which are exempt from country
of origin labeling requirements that the
U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees.
More
than 20 percent of all import refusals were
due to Salmonella. Of those, more than 40
percent were shrimp, the most popular seafood
among Americans.
The government is refusing more seafood
because of veterinary drug residues. More
than 60 percent of the refused imports in
2006 were from China.
The
organization's analysis highlighted risks
from farm-raised seafood imports. The United
States imports more than 80 percent of its
seafood, much of it from industrial fish
farm operations in Asia and Latin America.
These operations satisfy the surging demand
for seafood by cramming together fish under
unsanitary conditions that spread disease
and parasites. Consequently, many aquaculture
facilities use antibiotics and chemicals
that often are illegal in the United States
and that can leave residues in the fish
that people eat.
Food
& Water Watch recommends that FDA inspect
more shipments of seafood coming into the
United States and the foreign facilities
where they are grown and processed. The
group calls on Congress increase funding
to improve imported seafood safety and on
the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand
country of origin labeling requirements
to cover processed seafood and seafood in
all stores and restaurants.
The
report is available at:
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/press/publications/reports/import-alert
Contact:
Jennifer Mueller: 202-797-6553, jmueller@fwwatch.org.
Food
& Water Watch is a nonprofit consumer
rights group based in Washington, D.C. that
challenges the corporate control and abuse
of our food and water resources. Visit www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
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