May 21, 2012

US finds augmenting number of impure Vietnamese seafood consignments

After an increasingly number of impure seafood consignments from Vietnam to the US was found, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned of poor quality of Vietnamese seafood.

Impurities and salmonella bacteria were found in as many as 20 seafood consignments from Vietnam to the US in April, the FDA was quoted by the Viet Nam newspaper as saying.

The number of the contaminated consignments was only 12 in March, the administration said, noting that the number of salmonella bacteria-infected consignments has been increasing.

The newspaper, meanwhile, reported that the number of impure seafood consignments from Vietnam to Japan halved from the previous month to as few as three units last month. Of the sum, one consignment was found of having high Enrofloxacin residue while two others contaminated with Trifluralin and coliform.

Currently, the US and Japan are among biggest importers of Vietnam's seafood, with the US being a major shrimp and pangasius fish buyer.

In 2012, Vietnam is expected to earn US$6.6 billion from seafood exports, rising from US$6.323 in 2011.