More Coordination Needed Between FSIS, FDA on Imported Seafood Drug Residue Testing, GAO Says
The Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service should work closer together on drug residue testing methods for imported seafood, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Oct. 2. Seafood raised on farms is often treated with drugs to prevent disease and increase survival rates, but residue from some of those drugs can cause cancer or allergic reactions, the FDA has said. The GAO recommended that the FDA pursue formal agreements with seafood exporting countries that include commitments to drug residue testing.
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The FDA and FSIS both have some oversight on preventing drug residues in imported seafood, but there are different approaches between the agencies, the GAO said. Among other issues, the FDA and FSIS "are independently developing drug testing methods and [maximum residue levels] for use in seafood," the GAO said. A lack of coordination has resulted in differing MRLs in some cases, it said. For FSIS, which recently began enforcing safety requirements for imported catfish, the agency should use on-site audits in other countries to "determine the conditions under which the catfish are being raised, including the drugs being used," it said. The FDA also should work with FSIS on developing residue testing methods that are applicable to imported catfish, the GAO said.