A new federal plan to combat seafood fraud by requiring the fishing industry to trace their catches from boat or farm to the U.S. border has survived a court challenge.
The Seafood Traceability Rule surfaced during President Barack Obama’s final days in office and is scheduled to take effect on
Continue Reading Federal court upholds Seafood Traceability Rule; targets fraud
Long-awaited U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) catfish inspections, mandated by Farm Bills since 2008, will begin next March, according to a final rule establishing an inspection program for fish in the order Siluriformes, including catfish. The final rule, which applies to both domestically raised and imported Siluriformes fish, was
Continue Reading USDA Plans to Begin Catfish Inspections in March 2016
Members of the U.S. shrimp industry are voicing concerns that elements of a major trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, could weaken the ability of regulators to reject unsafe seafood imports. The concern arises as more shrimp imports from Southeast Asia are testing positive for banned antibiotics and foodborne pathogens. 
More
Continue Reading Proposed Trade Deal Prompts Concern Over Imported Shrimp
A new Consumer Reports (CR) study released Friday found that 60 percent of 342 samples of frozen shrimp it tested contained Salmonella, Vibrio, Listeria, or E. coli, and 2 percent tested positive for the superbug MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). For its new report, “How Safe
Continue Reading Consumer Reports: Tests Find 60 Percent of Frozen Shrimp Contaminated With Bacteria
If food safety put catfish under USDA inspection, can shrimp be far behind? That question is coming into focus this week after one of USDA’s top two food safety officials told a gathering of food policy wonks on Tuesday that the final rule for the agency’s takeover of catfish inspections
Continue Reading Coming USDA Catfish Inspections Raise Question: Could Shrimp Be Next?
Can eating the wrong type of fish put you at higher risk for mercury exposure? That’s the question posed in the latest special food safety report published Wednesday from Consumer Reports, the publishing arm of the nonprofit Consumers Union. The noncontroversial answer is yes, certain fish contain higher levels of
Continue Reading Consumer Reports: Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Eat Tuna
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will allow irradiation on crab, shrimp, lobster, crayfish and prawns to control foodborne pathogens and extend shelf life. After a safety assessment considered potential toxicity, the effect of irradiation on nutrients, and potential microbiological risk, the agency decided to amend current food additive regulations
Continue Reading FDA Allows Irradiation in Crustaceans for Foodborne Pathogen Control
The USDA catfish inspection program, first authorized in 2008, is continued in the 2014 farm bill, which also includes a first-of-its-kind “crop insurance” program for catfish farmers. Most of the so-called political experts were predicting it would go the other way. One paid prognosticator went so far as to suggest
Continue Reading U.S. Catfish Farmers Emerge As Big Winners in 2014 Farm Bill
