Though seafood exports now have to undergo strict examination by Nafiqad (National Agro Forestry Fisheries Quality Assurance Department), a lot of export consignments still have been refused by the importers due to the high antibiotic residues.
??More than 50 percent of the consignments have been found as having antibiotic residues from the aquaculture. Meanwhile, enterprises have affirmed that they have obeyed the current regulations on having samples tested before shipping and got Nafiqad’s certificates.??
Seafood processing companies said that they have been tightening the control in the processing phase, but they cannot control all material sources. In fact, only several seafood companies have material areas themselves, while others have to collect materials from farmers or imports.??
According to Deputy Chair of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) Nguyen Huu Dung, Nafiqad is only in charge of examining the food hygiene at the processing phase. This means that the food hygiene supervision has been left open at other phases of the production line. No agency comes forward and takes responsibility for the material quality in aquaculture and during the transport.
