The largest North American seafood event is the annual International Boston Seafood Show which next takes place March 20-22, 2011, in Boston, Massachusetts. Not only will I be there, I welcome everyone to visit our exhibition booth! This reflects the growth of our focus on FDA issues within the Customs and International Trade Department of my law firm.
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) holding, detaining, examining, testing, and refusing more imported food than ever before, our attorneys are constantly interacting with FDA Inspectors, Compliance Officers, and Investigators. We typically represent the U.S. importer who has received a Notice of FDA Action, and is given 10 days to explain to the FDA that the food product should enter the United States rather than be refused. We also represent overseas suppliers who unfortunately find themselves listed on an FDA Import Alert, and want to get off that list.
For example, on May 20, 2010, the FDA issued Import Alert #16-18, which is “Detention Without Physical Examination of Fresh and Frozen Shrimp from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand” for filth, decomposition and Salmonella. Shrimp from those countries will automatically be detained by the FDA until a United States laboratory provides sufficient documentation to the FDA that the product meets U.S. standards. The secret is getting on what the FDA calls the “Green List” of approved shrimp suppliers from these countries so that the product proceeds through the FDA entry process without delay.
Please comment on form below to let me know your experiences from attending or exhibiting at the Boston Seafood Show in prior years. Remember, it’s all the seafood you can eat!
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