FDA Proposes to Allow Imports of EU Shellfish as Europe Moves Toward Opening for US
The Food and Drug Administration is proposing to find the European Union’s food safety system for bivalve molluscan shellfish intended for export to the U.S. is equivalent to the U.S. food safety system, it said in a notice. If finalized, the determination would allow importation of shellfish from certain areas in the EU and processed by establishments listed on FDA’s Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List, FDA said in a constituent update. Separately, the EU is in the process of finalizing a similar proposed equivalence determination that would allow export of certain EU shellfish to the EU, FDA said. Comments are due May 23.
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Initially, the proposed determination would allow importation only of shellfish harvested in the Netherlands and Spain, though other regions would be able to apply for approval. The EU’s concurrent determination would allow exports to the EU of shellfish harvested from approved growing areas in Massachusetts and the state of Washington, FDA said. “These actions when finalized would open the EU market to shellfish exports from the U.S. and vice versa,” FDA said. “U.S. shellfish imports have not been allowed by the EC since 2010. FDA has not permitted the import of live, fresh, or fresh-frozen molluscan shellfish from the EU since the 1980s.”
(Federal Register 03/09/18)