Tainted seafood reaching American tables

www.msnbc.msn.com

By Nicole Gilbert
updated 10/5/2011 8:29:04 AM ET

Filthy seafood infected with bacteria or tainted with drugs and antibiotics banned in the U.S. is finding its way onto the plates of Americans, according to state and federal officials, consumer advocates, academics and food safety experts.

[...]

Only about 2 percent of imported seafood is inspected, and only 0.1 percent is tested for banned drug residues, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress. That's especially alarming because 80 percent of the seafood in America is imported, according to the agency.

[...]

People who eat seafood that is raw or undercooked are especially vulnerable to bacteria that may be lurking.

[...]

Microbiologist Michael Doyle, director of food safety at the University of Georgia, said more scrutiny would improve food safety for consumers, but it’s not very realistic since the FDA doesn’t have the manpower to inspect all the shipments.

[...]

Scientists for the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries tested 258 samples of catfish and a related species from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia from 2002 to 2010. Forty-four percent of samples tested positive for an antibiotic used to treat pneumonia and tuberculosis. The FDA banned the same antibiotic for use in produce and fish in 1997.

[...]

Aquaculture farmers can buy hazardous chemicals over the counter in China, said Ted McNulty, who heads the Arkansas Agriculture Department’s Aquaculture Division.

“Farmers can use chemicals like malachite green. It’s a carcinogen, it’s a fungicide … it’s a real health issue,” he said of the chemical, which is banned in the U.S.

Food & Water Watch also is concerned about China’s overall lack of effective food safety regulation. In a June report, the organization states: “China’s labyrinthine food safety system lacks the capacity, authority and will to ensure the safety of food for Chinese or American consumers.”

[...]



..