Thursday, May 19, 2011

Pharmaceuticals in fish: We aren't keeping them out

The congressional watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), has just published a new report comparing the way the Food and Drug Administration deals with inspections of imported foods to methods used by the European methods. The title says it all: "FDA Needs to Improve Oversight of Imported Seafood and Better Leverage Limited Resources." GAO says:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA's) program is generally limited to enforcing the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point the internationally recognised food safety management system by conducting inspections of foreign seafood processors and importers each year.

These inspections involve FDA inspectors reviewing records to ensure the processors and importers considered significant hazards, including those resulting from drug residues if the seafood they receive are from fish farms.

The inspectors generally do not visit the farms to evaluate drug use or the capabilities, competence, and quality control of laboratories that analyse the seafood. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers

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