Yesterday the FDA issued an import alert detaining all milk products, milk-derived ingredients and finished food products containing milk from China, according to a member alert yesterday from the National Fisheries Institute. Some breaded shrimp or other breaded seafood products produced in China may contain milk-based products.
The alert is in response to the Chinese contamination of milk products with melamine to increase the protein content.
NFI reports the import alert does not currently list seafood products, but the FDA may update the list if it believes other products could be contaminated with melamine. Some seafood breadings made in China could contain dairy products.
Chinese products that contain milk or milk powder will automatically be detained at U.S. ports until the manufacturer or its customer can provide the results of a 3rd-party laboratory analysis that verifies the product does not contain melamine or cyanuric acid or documentation in English that shows there are no milk or milk-derived ingredients in the product.
Importers can also be "green listed" if a minimum of five consecutive shipments are deemed "clean" by the FDA.
