US: Chinese Seafood Detained for Safety

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

(06-28) 11:27 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --

Imports of five species of farmed Chinese seafood will be detained until they can be shown free of potentially dangerous antibiotics, federal health officials said Thursday.

The Food and Drug Administration said it would detain the catfish, basa, shrimp, dace and eel after repeated testing has turned up contamination with drugs unapproved in the United States for use in farmed seafood.

The announcement was only the latest in an expanding series of problems with imported Chinese products that seemingly permeate U.S. society, from its playrooms to its prisons.

Beyond the fish, federal regulators have warned consumers in recent weeks about lead paint in toy trains, defective tires and toothpaste made with diethylene glycol, a toxic ingredient more commonly found in antifreeze. All the products were imported from China.

---EOE---

Read more: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/28/national/w112702D39.DTL

[orleans]

1. from fda website

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01660.html

FDA Detains Imports of Farm-Raised Chinese Seafood
Products Have Repeatedly Contained Potentially Harmful Residues
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced a broader import control of all farm-raised catfish, basa, shrimp, dace (related to carp), and eel from China. FDA will start to detain these products at the border until the shipments are proven to be free of residues from drugs that are not approved in the United States for use in farm-raised aquatic animals.

This action by FDA, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will protect American consumers from unsafe residues that have been detected in these products. There have been no reports of illnesses to date.

"We're taking this strong step because of current and continuing evidence that certain Chinese aquaculture products imported into the United States contain illegal substances that are not permitted in seafood sold in the United States," said Dr. David Acheson, FDA's assistant commissioner for food protection. "We will accept entries of these products from Chinese firms that demonstrate compliance with our requirements and safety standards."

During targeted sampling from October 2006 through May 2007, FDA repeatedly found that farm-raised seafood imported from China were contaminated with antimicrobial agents that are not approved for this use in the United States.

The contaminants were the antimicrobials nitrofuran, malachite green, gentian violet, and fluoroquinolone. Nitrofuran, malachite green, and gentian violet have been shown to be carcinogenic with long-term exposure in lab animals. The use of fluoroquinolones in food animals may increase antibiotic resistance to this critically important class of antibiotics.

None of these substances is approved for use in farm-raised seafood in the United States, and the use of nitrofurans and malachite green in aquaculture is also prohibited by Chinese authorities. Chinese officials have acknowledged that fluoroquinolones are used in Chinese aquaculture and are permitted for use in China.

The levels of the drug residues that have been found in seafood are very low, most often at or near the minimum level of detection. FDA is not seeking recall of products already in U.S. commerce and is not advising consumers to destroy or return imported farm-raised seafood they may already have in their homes FDA is concerned about long term exposure as well as the possible development of antibiotic resistance.

The FDA action includes conditions under which an exporter can be exempted from FDA's detention action by providing specified information to the agency This information must demonstrate the exporter has implemented steps to ensure its products do not contain these substances and that preventive controls are in place. The additional import controls placed on seafood from China will last as long as needed.

FDA may allow the entry into the United States and subsequent distribution into the marketplace of individual shipments of the Chinese farm-raised seafood products if the company provides documentation to confirm the products are free of residues of these drugs.

####

[AndreaCG]

3. They should embargo the other products which are proven to be toxic or defective.

No more toothpaste. No more toys. No more pet food. No more tires. No more wheat gluten products. (Fortunately mine are made in Taiwan.) Start bringing China to its knees.

Oh, whoops. They might call in the US debt of which they own a large proportion since Bush came into power. Never mind...

[Lisa]

2. eels! there was a thread about this a while back ...

Now I'm glad that I haven't been eating them.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1095341

[Zywiec]

4. I never knew we got so much seafood from China

I thought the US had the best Catfish around.

[Purveyor]

5. I heard on the radio yesterday that we import 75% of the garlic used in the US from China...

Who knew?

[Divine Discontent]

8. that's just it

they don't WANT us to know.

most of the products we buy off the shelves are now being made ELSEWHERE - whether it be Asia (mostly), Canada, or Mexico, with a little still coming from Europe.

We're being poisoned for corporate profits so the guys that are alive as VP's of the company can live a King's life, they don't care about the future, they've sold their soul to the devil, they just don't know it. The hell they put pet owner's through, the kids they killed in S. America because they supplied cheap grade Chinese cough syrup to them, and on and on....

this is so sad!
www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<<<----- TOP 08 items & antibush stuff!

[NYC]

13. How to recognize Chinese garlic:

American garlic leaves a tiny bit of the roots attached. Chinese garlic has the entire root plane removed. You'll easily see the difference.

[Bitwit1234]

6. Why doesn't the FDA label

Chinese products as Chinese products. Tell the United States they can be consumed at their own risks and let it go. I bet you one thing, the food would rot at the docks. And other food products would just sit there. I know one thing, I 'll never buy a Chinese food product. Never.

[sandnsea]

7. country of origin labeling

We're supposed to have it. It's been repeatedly blocked, and now they even label food from China as organic when we obviously have no oversight at all.

[KoKo]

10. Whole Foods sells Organic Spinach marked Made in CHINA!

I just returned two bags....:-(

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Is this intentional? Are they intentionally attempting a medical crisis

in America to slow us down?

[KoKo]

11. Most folks won't know why they are sick or a family member died...

because who knew about the toothpaste and if you eat seafood out...who asks where it comes from?

That's the problem. At least the frozen veggies and canned food are marked with Country of Origin...it's the stuff we assume is okay that we don't ask about or never think to that will get us in the end. That's just he way the Bushie Repugs work. It's YOUR FAULT...You "take your chances" about your survival. :-(

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. One wonders if China negotiated with Bush-Cheney to weaken our

regulations because they knew they had alot of crap filler to unload. The big question is, were these products targeted to low income areas?

[BrightKnight]

12. I'm not eating anything grown in an indusrtial waste dump. - n/t