FDA Cracks Down on Three N.Y. Fish Importers
The Food and Drug Administration threatened to refuse admission to fish products from three New York importers, in separate warning letters sent in early March. The agency said fish products from Han Sung Sikpoom Trading Co., Hong Lee Trading Inc., and Russian Products, Inc. failed to meet seafood hazard analysis and critical control point standards (HACCP). FDA said it sampled fish products imported by each company, and refused admission because of HACCP violations.
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The warning letters identified dried filefish from Hang Sung Sikpoom (here), dried anchovies from Hong Lee (here), and herring fillets in oil from Russian Products (here) as the offending merchandise. For each product, FDA collected a sample that was being offered for import, and found they were adulterated based on an unspecified finding by an FDA lab. FDA also conducted inspections of each company’s facility in January that found HACCP violations, it said.
FDA said it may take further action to refuse admission of fish products from each company by putting them on detention without physical examination, seizing the products, or getting court injunctions. The agency said it will collect reinspection fees from each company to cover the cost of ensuring compliance because the violations were “materially related to food safety.”