Add farmed seafood to the list of unsafe goods imported from China. The FDA will detain three varieties of fish as well as shrimp and eel, the agency said today, after tests revealed the presence of antibiotics and antifungals that aren't approved in the US for use in aquaculture. The level of contamination and risk to consumers are low.
The US will not impose a total ban, nor will it ask supermarkets or consumers to dump existing supplies, the AP reports. "We don't want to be alarmist here," said one FDA official. Importers who can show that their shipments are free of the drugs, some of which are carcinogenic, will be allowed to bring them into the country. (More FDA stories.)