Sand Mountain Reporter

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions Wednesday announced a bipartisan amendment passed by the Senate will give the Food and Drug Administration increased legal authority regarding inspections of fish, shrimp, seafood and other aquaculture products.

The measure authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enhance the inspection of aquaculture and seafood, including catfish and shrimp, for antibiotics and other FDA-banned contaminants. Under the provisions of the amendment, the Secretary must report back to Congress on what steps are being taken to ensure that proper inspections are occurring.

“It is unacceptable to allow substandard catfish and shrimp, mostly produced in China, to enter the U.S. market when those imported products do not meet the established safety standards that govern our food supply,” Sessions said. “The amendment represents a significant step toward protecting American consumers from substandard catfish, shrimp and seafood products.”

Additionally, the amendment would require the Secretary to report to Congress within 90 days on the feasibility of developing a traceability system for catfish and seafood products. Such a system potentially would allow federal inspectors to better identify the source of tainted food products, once such products are discovered.

“The feasibility report required by the amendment will be an extremely valuable tool as we consider the establishment of a functioning traceability system,” Sessions said. “This report will provide critical information to Congress, and will be especially important as the Senate plans to consider food safety legislation later this year.”

On April 25 Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks revealed the results of tests conducted on samples of imported fish. The samples were obtained from nine different food storage warehouses between Feb. 13, 2007 and March 29, 2007.

Twenty samples of catfish from China were collected for analysis, with 14 testing positive for fluoroquinolones, an antibiotic banned for use in the US by the FDA.

The samples found in violation represent approximately 214,260 pounds of catfish, Sparks said in a press release, and there are approximately 300,000 additional pounds of product suspended pending analysis.

Of the 13 samples of basa type fish products from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia that were tested, five tested positive for fluoroquinolones.

All samples tested negative for malachite green.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Publisher: Ben Shurett

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