Addressing the situation, Arkansas Senator Blanche Lincoln sent a letter to Andrew C. von Eschenbach, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
In the letter he asked the agency to continue vigilance in protecting the American public from tainted seafood from China.
"I commend the FDA for taking action last summer to strictly control the importation of farm-raised catfish, basa, shrimp, dace, and eel from China due to recurring antimicrobial contamination (Import Alert #16-131). The public should not have to worry about these chemicals being in the U.S. food supply, which is why I am concerned that Import Alert #16-131 has not been closely followed and is in jeopardy of being discarded", said the letter.
"Under the import alert’s "Detention Without Physical Examination" order, all farm-raised catfish, basa, shrimp, dace, and eel from China are supposed to be inspected at our borders with no exceptions. However, the Associated Press discovered that, even after the Import Alert was issued, at least 1 million pounds of these items made it into the U.S. market unfettered ("'Import Alert' for Chinese seafood ignored," 8 August 2007)."
Through the Net: Concern for Tainted Seafood
ARKANSAS, US - The senator of Arkansas recently expressed concerns regarding the continued threat of tainted seafood products slipping through inspections.
