May 4, 2007

US fears catfish imports may also be contaminated

Southern US states are leading the charge against imported Chinese catfish contaminated with hazardous substances as 14 out of 20 samples have been found to contain prohibited antibiotics.

Commissioner Lester Spell Jr said all samples of imported catfish tested by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has been positive of the banned substance.

Spell has halted sales in grocery stores after two antibiotics were found in frozen fillets.

Spell noted there is a possibility that these same adulterated fish are being offered to customers at hospitals, public schools, nursing homes and public restaurants.

Wal-Mart has removed all Chinese catfish from its stores nationwide, "to err on the side of caution," said spokeswoman Karen Burk. Arkansas farming officials, meanwhile, announced yesterday that they would begin testing the imported fish immediately.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Fisheries Service, imports of Chinese-farmed catfish grew from 3.8 million pounds in 2005 to almost 17 million pounds by 2006. The fish also are imported from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, where the catfish farming boom is threatening the nation's freshwater supply.

Asian catfish are significantly cheaper than American brands and command more than 30 percent of the annual US$590 million catfish industry. The surge in foreign catfish has piqued catfish farmers in 13 states, stating foreign fish are raised in filthy waters and was fed the same grain that compromised the nation's pet food supply.

Jeff McCord, spokesman of the Catfish Farmers of America said the pet food contamination is a clear indication that a threat is hanging on the US food chain and stressed the importance of catfish origin source in restaurants and groceries.

Some unscrupulous restaurants, he added, substitute cheaper Asian catfish for grouper and other fish, prompting some state health departments to use DNA testing to detect the "counterfeit."

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration issued alerts for some Chinese and Vietnamese fish found to contain four banned antibiotics plus malachite green and crystal violet--industrial dyes linked to cancer and to liver and kidney damage.