Food Quality News - Industry not
Speaking at the ASM meeting on Monday, Michael Doyle of the University of Georgia said that an increasing quantity of imported food and food ingredients from developing nations is increasing the risk of food contamination in the United States. However, he added that consumers should not rule out ingredients from entire countries as ‘unsafe’, pointing out that most food manufacturers will only import ingredients if they can verify that they have been produced in sanitary conditions.
"It is incumbent on food processors to ensure ingredients or products they import are produced under good sanitary practices,” Doyle said. “It is the industry that is responsible for producing safe food.”
Part of the problem is that there is such a huge quantity of food being imported into the United States that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for ensuring the safety of more than 80 percent of the US food supply, can only inspect a small amount of it.
According to government figures, imports account for about 15 percent of the total US food supply, including 60 percent of fresh fruit and vegetables and 80 percent of seafood. The Government Accountability Office says there are about 189,000 registered foreign sites where food is made for sale in the United States, but the FDA only inspects a tiny fraction of them – just 153 in 2008.
While Doyle says that US food manufacturers should take responsibility for producing safe foods, government also has a role to play.
“It is the government's responsibility to verify that they are providing safe foods," he said.
In addition, Doyle highlighted that food safety standards are not the same throughout the world, pointing to the use of domestic sewage and livestock manure in some Asian fish farms, and the use of pesticides for agriculture and antibiotics for fish and shrimp production in China that are not approved for use in the United States.
"The reality is we are going to continue to import foods at a greater rate in large part because labor costs in developing countries are much lower than they are here,” Doyle said. “We are going to see more food coming from developing countries which frequently have lower standards for producing foods.”
But he warned against blacklisting certain countries’ imports, considering that US food makers are generally very careful to ensure ingredient safety.
He said: “Just because it comes from a particular country that does not necessarily mean it is bad."
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
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