Vet Drugs in Imported Seafood, Refusals Up Dramatically

Food & Water Watch Calls for Increased Inspections and a Temporary Ban on All Chinese Food Imports

Washington, DC - Questions about the safety of imported food go far beyond melamine contaminated wheat products, according to the consumer advocacy group Food & Water Watch. A Food & Water Watch analysis reveals that refusals of seafood shipments from China for veterinary drug residue contamination increased dramatically in April, even though the U.S. Food & Drug Administration inspects barely 1 percent of all seafood imports.

“A ban on Chinese food imports to the United States should be implemented until the safety of U.S. consumers can be guaranteed. The current crisis demonstrates that all shipments of food items from China should be inspected and tested,” said Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter.

Very few drugs are approved for use in domestic fish farming. However, drugs like flouroquinolones ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin are routinely used in fish farm operations in Asia. These drug residues could result in life threatening allergic reactions and may encourage development of drug resistant bacteria.

FDA refused 78 shipments from China for veterinary drug contamination between January and April 2007, the same number of shipments refused in all of 2006. More than half of those shipments were refused in April 2007.

The state of Alabama recently joined Mississippi and Louisiana in enacting a ban of Chinese catfish after test revealed flouroquinolone residues. Earlier this month, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark, asked the FDA to ban Chinese catfish and Senator Sessions, R-Ala, added an amendment to FDA legislation calling on the agency to increase import inspections and testing.

“The high profile case of contaminated wheat gluten in pet and animal food is just one example of how federal regulators are unable to offer even a minimal level of protection to consumers in the face of ever-increasing food imports,” Hauter said. “Congress must give the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture the resources and authority they need to protect consumers and avoid these risks in the first place.”

__________

More on the Numbers

The total number of import refusals for residues of veterinary drugs more than tripled in April of 2007. In April, 64 shipments of seafood were refused for containing residues of nitrofuran, chloramphenicol, and other illegal veterinary drugs. This is compared to 14, 20 and 15 refusals in January, February, and March, respectively. Through April of 2007, 113 shipments were refused due to veterinary drug residues, only 12 fewer than the 125 shipments refused for this reason in all of 2006.

China, the leading exporter to the United States, accounted for 69 percent of these refusals for veterinary drug residues. The growing catfish industry accounted for 37 percent of refusals of Chinese shipments, shrimp for 28 percent, and eel for 22 percent. The number of refusals for Chinese catfish and shrimp has far surpassed the number refused in all of 2006.

So far in 2007, veterinary drug refusals have made up 19.5 percent of all seafood import refusals, compared to 8 percent in 2006, 3 percent in 2005, 6 percent in 2004, and 2 percent in 2003.