SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton -Aug 19, 2005- ? State officials in Florida have begun calling distributors, asking to test samples of Vietnamese basa for antibiotic residue. Florida now becomes the fourth state where local officials have begun tests.
In most cases, these officials are ‘red tagging’ product, meaning it cannot be sold until the results of lot tests are obtained.
In Louisiana, where the movement to ban basa sales started, officials are tagging all fish of Vietnamese origin. For example, a distributor reports that he was not allowed to sell tuna loins that were a product of Vietnam. Of course, wild tuna has no opportunity to be treated with antibiotics.
The ramifications of this war on basa continue to escalate. Under pressure from Southern congressmen, the FDA is now considering whether to impose a national ban on basa imports. It is unclear whether this will be in the form of an import alert, under which product must be tested, or a denial of entry of product.
The reaction to a simple test by a University of Mississippi researcher is turning into a disaster for the seafood industry. That test found students preferred the taste and texture of basa over farm raised catfish.
This result is no secret in the trade. The reason for the rapid acceptance of basa, by what ever name it is sold, is based on its product attributes, which include excellent texture, and a higher oil content than American catfish. The threat to the catfish industry from basa came not simply from price, but from the fact that many chefs preferred basa over other types of catfish.
Following the publication of the test results, local officials obtained and tested some of the basa used in the Univ. of Mississippi taste tests. This is when they found traces of a poultry antibiotic which the FDA has not authorized for use in aquaculture. That technical violation was all that was needed for the State of Louisiana to mount a campaign to seize and detain all Vietnamese products.
The prospect of FDA action resulting in a national ban would hurt more than basa importers, restaurants, and distributors. It would confirm again the notion that seafood, meaning all seafood, is contaminated with chemicals and drugs. The average consumer does not know the specifics of the problem. He or she just remembers seafood was banned because of antibiotics.
The string of stories about mercury in tuna, pcb’s in salmon, the use of canthaxanthin for salmon coloring, vibrio in oysters, suspicion towards farmed fish, and now antibiotics in catfish all contribute to the perception that seafood is tainted.
In the past, it was environmental groups that were the driving force behind the public perception that seafood was tainted. In places such as British Columbia, opponents of farmed salmon have tried to deliberately scare the public as a tactic.
But now, it appears to be internal fights between seafood producers themselves that is pushing this issue forward. The campaign to support domestic wild shrimp has made no bones about its attacks on farmed shrimp. The catfish industry has been particularly virulent in attacking other catfish producers, particularly those in Vietnam. Some in the wild salmon industry have been attacking farmed salmon, quite successfully.
The net result is that seafood now carries an asterisk. Yes seafood is good for you, but read the fine print: it is also contaminated.