FDA Hurricane Katrina Recovery Update: Seafood Availability and Safety
FDA is working with industry to ensure that the seafood that is currently
offered for sale in your local market is safe.
With the extensive flooding, power outages, and damage to buildings as a
result of Hurricane Katrina, consumers and those in the food industry may
have concerns about the safety of food, especially the Gulf Coast's
seafood products, exposed to hurricane damage. Although the damage by
Hurricane Katrina is extensive, industry, states, and federal food safety
officials have well established systems and methods to produce safe food
and ensure seafood safety. At this time, FDA offers the following advice:
Seafood Caught Prior to the Hurricane but Affected by Hurricane Damage
All seafood exposed to flood waters or that has spoiled due to lack of
refrigeration, is considered unfit for the human food supply and must be
destroyed. FDA is currently working with the states and local officials
to visit seafood processors, packagers, and transporters to help them
determine if any of their remaining stored product is safe. Companies
can consult A Notice to Growers, Food Manufacturers, Food Warehouse
Managers, and Transporters of Food Products About the Safety of Food
Affected by Hurricane Katrina for information about the safety of products
affected by hurricane-related damage. FDA is not aware of any seafood
from the affected areas that has entered the commercial marketplace since
the hurricane.
Seafood Caught and/or Processed After the Hurricane
Steps are underway to ensure that seafood caught and processed in the
areas affected by the hurricane is safe for consumption. Currently all
commercial fishing waters in Alabama are closed, as are the molluscan
shellfish (oysters, clams, and mussels) beds in Louisiana and Mississippi.
As the hurricane-damaged regions recover, fishing, shrimping, crabbing,
and the harvesting of molluscan shellfish are anticipated to resume in the
near future. Further, for processed seafood FDA requires processors to
have controls in place to prevent contamination of their product. Any
food processing facilities or equipment exposed to waste products,
petroleum products, chemical, biological or other hazards during the
hurricane must be brought back into compliance before processing resumes.
Consumer Advice
Sport fishermen should check local advisories about the safety of fish in
local lakes, rivers, and costal areas affected by the hurricane before
resuming fishing.
For additional FDA Hurricane Katrina Recovery Updates please visit
www.cfsan.fda.gov .
September 12, 2005 Bulletin 2
FDA has posted additional information in a section of its www site, titled
"Health and Safety After Hurricane Katrina" at
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/hurricane.html
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsdisas2.html
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