Shrimp From Bangladesh? Throw It Back

FOOD SAFETY NEWS – The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries.

The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.

Recent modifications to FDA’s import alerts, as posted by the agency, are listed below.

Here are “highlights” of some of the imported foods, beverages, drugs, and medical devices subject to recent FDA actions and alerts: 

– “The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that the article appears to consist in whole or in part of a filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or be otherwise unfit for food. COUNTRIES: BANGLADESH (Raw Shrimp: Filth; Decomposition), HONG KONG (Raw Shrimp: Filth; Decomposition), INDONESIA (Raw Shrimp: Filth; Decomposition) … ” more.

– “FDA has determined that papaya imported from Mexico appears to be adulterated within the meaning of section 402(a)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because the papayas appear to contain Salmonella, an added poisonous or deleterious substance that may render food injurious to health … ” more.

– “Three samples of bottled water imported from three different manufacturers in Armenia were found to contain high levels of arsenic. Arsenic is a toxic substance and known human carcinogen that can occur in water sources throughout the world.

“Symptoms of acute arsenic exposure usually occur within several hours of consumption. The most likely effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Over the period of a few days to weeks, the kidneys, liver, skin, and cardiovascular and nervous systems could be affected. Extended exposure could lead to cancer and death … ” more.

–  “Unapproved New Drugs Promoted In The U.S. – Unapproved new drugs present public health and safety risks because they have not been reviewed by FDA for safety or effectiveness. Without FDA review, there is no way to know if these drugs are safe and effective for their intended use, whether they are manufactured in a way that ensures consistent drug quality, or whether their labels are complete and accurate.

“Unapproved new drugs have resulted in patient harm, and the agency works to protect patients from the risks posed by these drugs.” [This notice contains 347,314 words and is more than 1,000 pages long.] more.

Click here to go to the FDA page with links for specific details about these and the rest of this week’s various alert modifications.