Saving Seafood

MAINE: A Lasting Grudge: FDA’s Closure of the Historic Maine Smokehouse

June 1, 2023 — John McCurdy of Lubec, Maine, holds the distinction of having run the last herring smokehouse in the USA. Sit down to talk to him about it, and you’ll find that at age 92, he is still mad about the US Food and Drug Administration shutting him down in 1991. “What happened is, some people in New York City got botulism from smoked whitefish out in the Great Lakes. So, they made a law that all smoked fish had to be eviscerated before they were salted. Well, you know we bought over 100 hogsheads [120,000] at a time, and those boats wanted to unload fast and get back out fishing. There’s no way we could gut those fish.”

McCurdy’ smokehouse was already a labor-intensive business, with 24 people doing everything from brining the fish, loading the smokehouse, moving fish upward in the smokehouse over the course of an 8-week curing process, and then skinning, boning, and packing it. And it was all hand work, “Artisanal” it would be called today. The workers made the boxes for packing, carefully laid the fish in, and nailed the lids on. Nothing in the entire operation was automated; it relied on human beings using their judgment as to how much brine to soak the fish into when the fish were ready. “If they rattle when you bring them down, they’re ready,” says McCurdy. “We sold 15,000 boxes a year. We sold to Mom & Pop stores, 100 boxes here, a hundred there.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Seafood to get front-of-the-pack label boost under 2024 US FDA guidance

May 23, 2023 — New food-labeling draft guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aiming to further clarify the nutritional value of food products to consumers is coming into effect in 2024.

The draft guidance provides food manufacturers with recommendations on how and when to use dietary guidance statements on food product labels “to ensure the label statements promote good nutrition, provide greater consistency in labeling, and assist consumers in making informed choices,” the FDA said in a press release.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US FDA refuses more shrimp shipments due to presence of antibiotics and banned drug residue

April 10, 2023 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on 3 April, 2023 that 83 seafood entry lines to the U.S. were refused in February. Two of those lines were shrimp from India and Vietnam refused due to banned antibiotics and veterinary drug residues.

The India shipment was from Kerala-based Mangala Seafoods, which has been under an import alert. The company was added to Import Alert 16-129, Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans for its shrimp exports on 1 March, and Import Alert 16-124, Detention of Without Physical Examination of Aquaculture Seafood Products Due to Unapproved Drugs from chloramphenicol in its shrimp 25 January.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FDA has added over 20 seafood companies to import alert list so far in 2023

March 26, 2023 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added more than 20 seafood companies to its import alert list so far in 2023.

The import alerts, which range in type from non-compliance with HACCP to a suspicion there is a high chance for botulism, allow the FDA to detain all seafood products shipped from the companies at the border without any physical examination of the product.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US FDA announces overhaul of its food-safety programs

February 1, 2023 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a major overhaul of its food-safety programs on Tuesday, 31 January.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said the changes, which include an overhaul of the FDA’s Human Foods Program and its Office of Regulatory Affairs, were designed to ensure the safety of the country’s food supply and to promote better nutrition.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

SENA Panel: FDA and US Customs Update on Seafood Enforcement

December 29, 2022 — The 2022 Seafood Expo North America, which took place 13 to 15, March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., and the 2022 Seafood Expo Global, 26 to 28 April, 2022, in Barcelona, Spain, featured a comprehensive conference program of live panel events focusing on topics chosen to be of vital interest to the seafood industry.

The 28 individual presentations from SENA and the 21 sessions from SEG featured exclusive information and insight from seafood industry experts, including economic forecasts and analysis on the trends and topics impacting the global seafood industry as it navigates issues of trade, food safety, traceability, aquaculture, sustainability, and consumption trends. Now, a video recording of each of these sessions is available for on-demand replay.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FDA issues a final rule on food traceability, list includes most seafood

November 23, 2o22 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule on food traceability. Foods subject to the final rule requirements appear on the Food Traceability List (FTL), which includes seafood.

Designed to facilitate faster identification and rapid removal of potentially contaminated food from the market, resulting in fewer foodborne illnesses and/or deaths, the FDA final rule on Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods (Food Traceability Final Rule) establishes traceability recordkeeping requirements, beyond those in existing regulations, for persons who manufacture, process, pack, or hold foods included on the Food Traceability List (FTL).

The Food Traceability List (FTL) rule requires businesses to track most seafood from the point of landing through the supply chain to the final point of sale. The list also includes includes fresh cut fruits and vegetables, shell eggs, and nut butters, as well as certain fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, ready-to-eat deli salads and cheeses.

At the core of the final rule is a requirement that persons who manufacture, process, pack or hold food on the FTL maintain records including Key Data Elements (KDEs) related to Critical Tracking Events (CTEs). Covered firms and farms, retail food establishments and restaurants will be required to provide information to the FDA within 24 hours, or some reasonable time to which the FDA agrees.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

FDA warns about norovirus-contaminated Canadian oysters in the US

April 5, 2022 — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning about raw oysters from Canada involved in a norovirus outbreak that has sickened nearly 300 Canadians.

Potentially contaminated raw oysters harvested in the south and central parts of Baynes Sound, British Columbia, Canada, were distributed to restaurants and retailers in the U.S. states of California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, the FDA said in a press release.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

National Fisheries Institute Statement on the Confirmation of Dr. Robert Califf as FDA’s new Commissioner

February 15, 2022 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:

The National Fisheries Institute welcomes Dr. Robert Califf as the Food and Drug Administration’s new Commissioner.

Many parts of the seafood value chain have been impacted by the pandemic and associated lockdowns over the course of two years. During that time the FDA has been rightly focused on various scientific aspects of protecting public health and we salute the agency for its work.

We ask Dr. Califf to quickly focus FDA’s food safety resources on challenges that are important to the seafood community. Prompt action on things like proper labeling, standards of identity and economic integrity are of critical significance. A lack of attention to these priorities undermines the importance of  FDA’s vital food focus.

We look forward to working with Dr. Califf.

John Connelly
President