Food Safety & Health

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Slade Gorton has announced a recall for three of its tilapia products because they may contain undeclared milk. 

People with allergies or severe sensitivity to milk “run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products,” the company said in a press release.

The products are:

• Gourmet Bay Toasted Crumb Tilapia, product code 7396701
• Gourmet Bay Honey Mustar
… Read More

Two United States government agencies are warning consumers about hepatitis A found in certain frozen tuna products.

The Hawaii Department of Health notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on 1 May that a frozen ahi tuna cube sample from PT Deho Canning Co., imported by Hilo Fish Company in Hilo, Hawaii, tested positive for hepatitis A. 

Then, in mid-May, Hilo Fish began recalling additional frozen tuna steaks and frozen yellowfin tun… Read More

Two sushi restaurants in Washington state must stop mislabeling fish used in their sushi and pay a combined USD 5,500 (EUR 4,916) fine.

Sushi Tokyo in Seattle and Oto Sushi in Redmond signed an agreement with the Washington Attorney General’s office after an investigation found that they mislabeled tuna and snapper between March and August, 2016.

“Consumers deserve to know the truth about what they are buying,” said Washington … Read More

Those who deal in shrimp on a regular basis are probably familiar with melanosis. The unsightly black spots that can appear on the bodies of harvested, raw shrimp is not spoilage, but rather is caused by a naturally occurring enzyme. While shrimp with melanosis are harmless to eat, they are a definite turn-off for customers. 

The industry mainly uses one of two treatments to control melanosis: sodium metabisulfite powder and 4-hexylresorcina… Read More

Congressional Seafood Company, based in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.A., has hired Matt Berrie as director of food safety at the company’s new plant in Jessup, Maryland.

Previously, Berrie was HACCP and quality control manager for ProFish, Ltd., of Washington D.C., and quality control manager for Seattle Fish Co. of Denver, Colorado.

In his new role, Berrie will oversee all of the company’s safety and quality control efforts, which incl… Read More

Seattle, Washington, USA-based processor Trident Seafoods has issued a voluntary recall of certain cod products because they may contain small pieces of plastic.

“The source of the white plastic has been identified as inspection tags used by an ingredient supplier,” the supplier said in a statement. “Trident Seafoods takes food safety very seriously and is investigating this situation thoroughly.”

The recall affects select… Read More

Lakeland, Florida, USA-based Publix Super Markets is issuing a voluntary recall of two of its own label ready-to-cook seafood products because they may contain small glass fragments.

Publix’s Salmon Florentine Gratin and Scallops Florentine Gratin seafood ready-to-cook products were sold at Publix stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee, according to the retailer, which operates more than 1,100 groc… Read More

The Washington State Department of Health has closed six shellfish harvesting areas because of high bacteria levels.

The six closed areas include: Hood Canal near the Duckabush River (Jefferson County), Annas Bay (Mason County), North Bay (Mason County), Rocky Bay (Pierce County), Swinomish (Skagit County), and Port Susan (Snohomish County). 

“We need clean water for safe shellfish harvesting,” said Rick Porso, director of the O… Read More

“Chaotic” management at Shanghai’s largest seafood wholesale market has led to worries over food safety there.

The recent closure of the Tongchun Lu market has led to a large number of unlicensed vendors – some operating outdoors in unrefrigerated environments – and overcrowding at the Jiang Yang market in Shanghai’s Baoshan district, according to the government-run Fa Zhi Shehui (Law and Society) newspaper.

Th… Read More

The United States Food and Drug Administration warned Vietnamese seafood exporter Ba Hai Company Ltd. about “serious deviations” from food safety requirements at the facility of its U.S. importer.

Tuy Hoa City, Vietnam-baed Ba Hai is a major processor and exporter of frozen tuna, swimming crabs and other seafood.

In late March, the FDA warned Ba Hai that its HACCP plan for scombroid species of fish contains “serious deviations&r… Read More