FDA not doing enough to ensure safety of seafood

Recent actions shows that the US Department of Commerce and the FDA are going in the wrong direction when it comes to ensuring the safety of edible fish.

That is according to poll results: Nearly 1 in 4 of those polled online, or 24 percent, listed fish and seafood as main causes of worry.

In that same poll, 79 percent of respondents said imported consumables were the main cause of worry rather than domestically produced food.

Those percentages would even escalate if Americans knew the truth -- that the federal government is doing little to ensure food safety.

Firstly, restrictions on Chinese food imports, namely inspections and testing are viewed as barriers to trade. In a September meeting in California with Chinese counterparts, Commerce Department representatives agreed that such restrictions may need lifting.

Secondly, the FDA is reportedly considering doing away with "import alerts" placed on 5 Chinese seafood imports, including catfish and shrimp, even as headlines continue to announce contamination problems.