US FDA issues alert against presence of banned antibiotics in imported shrimp
Indian marine product exporters are on high alert after US FDA issued a warning in its website against marine products containing traces of chloramphenicol, a banned antibiotics. FDA has stated that shipments from 13 firms in India, China, Malaysia, Peru, Venezuela, Thailand and Vietnam have been found to contain Chloramphenicol and it would detain any such shipment from these countries.
Indian exporters have installed special equipment all along the coast line to detect banned substances after EU adopted strict norms for marine products import. Now, shrimp suppliers will need to get their products certified by the Export Inspection Agency.
Indian marine product export industry, already hit by the US anti-dumping duties on shrimp imports and the tsunami disaster, does not want to take any risk. Since it is not possible for exporters to check every lot of shrimp from the farmers for the banned substances, the industry has now decided to ask the farmers themselves to ensure that their produce conforms to prescribed standards.
April 13' 2005
