Regulating Seafood

The seafood industry is in strong support of the new regulatory program recently announced by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner David Kessler and discussed in the paper’s Feb. 1 editorial and in a Jan. 27 article.

There are several points about the new inspection program and the seafood industry that need to be clarified. This program represents a complete change in philosophy as to how the federal government will inspect food products in the future. The new program takes a proactive approach to food safety by preventing problems rather than correcting them after they have occurred. The approach that will be used by the seafood industry has been recommended by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences and is being considered for the meat and poultry industries.

The safety record of the seafood industry is a strong one, and under this new program, improvements will continue to be made. According to recent statistics from the FDA, less than 1% of food-borne illnesses are attributable to seafood, and this program aims at reducing this low number even further.

The proposed regulations specifically call for processors to monitor for the presence of chemical contaminants in species where such problems are reasonably likely to occur.

Finally, the new FDA program for fishery products is tough and legally enforceable with severe penalties for non-compliance. It is hardly an “honor system,” even though, as with all laws in this country, full compliance depends largely on responsible citizenship. The fact that the seafood industry has consistently supported the new regulatory program should amply demonstrate this industry’s sense of responsibility to its customers and the law.

LEE J. WEDDIG

Executive Vice President

National Fisheries Institute

Arlington, Va.