FDA to review results of seafood investigation

Posted March 30, 2010 at 10:29 a.m.

By Julie Wernau | The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it is reviewing
the results of a multi-state investigation that found that shoppers have
been paying for large amounts of ice
that are not supposed to be
included in the price of frozen seafood.

The investigation — conducted by weights and measures inspectors in 17
states — found that a coating of ice applied to frozen seafood to
preserve quality during storage and distribution was often wrongly
included as part of the labeled weight of seafood. In some instances,
the investigation found, ice accounted for up to 40 percent of the
product’s weight.


“We’re reviewing their results and determining whether FDA should take any action and if so, what actions should we take,” said Michael Herndon, spokesman for the FDA.

Herndon said the FDA could direct one of its district offices to target a particular firm or consider import sampling of a particular commodity or country based on the trends they are able to find.

All imports subject to FDA regulation are screened before entry into the country, Herndon said, and a new risk-based computerized system will enable investigators to better target food coming into the country that may be “adulterated, economically, or otherwise.”

If the FDA determines that economic fraud is taking place, he said, they first issue a warning letter and later take “stronger action” if necessary. Herndon said the FDA has issued numerous warning letters on the seafood issue. In Chicago, the most recent warning letter was sent Feb. 16 and can be read here.

 

5 comments:

  1. Sisyphus51 March 30, 2010 at 11:13 a.m.

    This is just another example of Obama style tyranny. How dare the federal government try to protect me from systematic consumer fraud!

  2. More March 30, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    It is not just seafood. Go by a bag of 3 pound Frozen Chicken Breasts.. The individual frozen.. They are all glazed with water.. When you unfreeze that bag of chicken there is a large amount of fluid in the bag.. This is pure weight. And the 3 pound bag includes the fluid.. Same with Turkeys, Etc..

  3. BigAnt March 30, 2010 at 1:32 pm

    Serves ya right for eating frozen fish…

  4. chris March 30, 2010 at 2:53 pm

    “Serves ya right for eating frozen fish…” Frozen fish is generally frozen shortly after being caught. “Fresh” fish may have been caught days earlier and its safety can be very suspect. The safety of fish has little or nothing to do with whether or not it is frozen or fresh. Taste can be iffy too, I have had “fresh” fish that was pretty bad….

  5. MTW48 March 30, 2010 at 3:00 pm

    Don’t ,they can still soak the meats in salt walter to make then weigh more before freezing, even if they get rid of the ice.
    A bigger issue of where that Pacific Salmon is coming from. The label says Pacific and not China, where most of it is now caught. Same with canned Tuna, that production is moving to China also.