The proposed regulation would establish criteria for sanitary transportation practices, such as properly refrigerating food, adequately cleaning vehicles between loads, and properly protecting food during transportation.
The proposed rule would apply to shippers, carriers, and receivers who transport food that will be consumed or distributed in the United States and is intended to ensure that persons engaged in the transportation of food that is at the greatest risk for contamination during transportation follow appropriate sanitary transportation practices. The requirements in the proposed rule would not apply to the transportation of fully packaged shelf-stable foods, live food animals, and raw agricultural commodities when transported by farms.
The FDA intends to hold three public meetings on the proposed rule for the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food. To do so, the agency is first planning on extending the public meetings on the proposed rule for the Intentional Adulteration of Food to include coverage of Sanitary Transportation in two locations. These meetings will be held on February 27, 2014 at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago and on March 13, 2014 at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Anaheim, CA. It is anticipated that the Chicago and Anaheim meetings will remain one day meetings but run until approximately 5:00 p.m. The agency also intends to hold a standalone public meeting on the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food on March 20, 2014, from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in College Park, MD. The agency will have final Sanitary Transportation meeting details and registration information published shortly. The proposed rule is available for public comment until May 31, 2014.
Shellfish Causing Confusion
The exemption of live animals from the proposed Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) sanitary transportation rule might need a caveat (hố, sự chia rẽ).
During the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s public meeting on the rule in College Park, MD, on Thursday, Michael Osterling, executive director of the Shellfish Growers of Virginia, pointed out that shellfish are frequently transported and consumed live and raw.
But live animals – along with shelf-stable foods and compressed food gases (e.g., those used to make soft drinks) – are exempted from the regulation because it was determined they are at little risk of becoming adulterated during transportation.
“We believe that many of the illness outbreaks associated with raw shellfish consumption are caused by temperature abuse between harvest and retail that permits naturally occurring bacteria to proliferate within the shellfish,” Osterling said.
So if foods requiring temperature control to maintain their safety are covered by the proposed regulation, but live animals are exempted, where do shellfish fall?
In order to avoid enforcement confusion, Osterling requested that the agency clarify the rule’s language so that shellfish are expressly not exempted.
“We completely didn’t think about that,” responded Don Kraemer, senior advisor to FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). He admitted that the agency had been more focused on “hoofed” animals while crafting the rule.
Staff will now have to think through whether they meant to include shellfish and crustaceans in that exemption or not, he said.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a fairly strong upward trend in 2025, Vietnam’s clam exports entered 2026 with a mixed picture: strong growth at the beginning of the year, followed by a slowdown from March onward. According to Vietnam Customs data, Vietnam’s clam export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached more than USD 38 million, up 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius industry is facing new opportunities to expand its development space as many localities and businesses begin promoting marine farming models aimed at diversifying farming areas and adapting to climate change. However, for pangasius to truly “go offshore” and develop into a large-scale industry segment, significant challenges related to technology, broodstock, and markets still need to be addressed.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports in April 2026 reached USD 11 million, up 92% compared to the same period in 2025. This strong growth indicates that Vietnamese tilapia products are continuing to penetrate and expand rapidly in international markets. Cumulative export turnover in the first four months of 2026 reached USD 49 million, up 151% year-on-year.
(seafood.vasep.com) At VietShrimp Asia 2026, disease management trends in shrimp farming are shifting strongly from treatment-based approaches toward proactive prevention through environmental and pond ecosystem control.
(vasep.com.vn) After a period of strong growth, with export turnover reaching USD 38 million in Q1/2026 — up 174% year-on-year — the sector’s rapid expansion clearly reflects growing market opportunities.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the ASEAN bloc reached USD 44 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025. After falling to the lowest level of the quarter at USD 9 million in February — reflecting the seasonal slowdown in orders after the festive period — exports recovered strongly to USD 18 million in March, the highest monthly value of the quarter. This development shows that import demand for pangasius in ASEAN remains relatively stable despite short-term fluctuations.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On May 11, 2026, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a positive comparability finding for Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries, along with those of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). With this decision, seafood and seafood products harvested from Vietnam’s swimming crab fisheries will continue to be eligible for import into the US market.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a slowdown in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Germany showed more positive signs in the first quarter of 2026. However, the recovery remains uncertain as consumer demand in Germany is still cautious, while market competition is increasingly driven by pricing and supply stability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a sharp decline in 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Israel are showing positive signs of recovery in the early months of 2026. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover to this market grew steadily month by month in Q1/2026, reaching nearly USD 10 million, up 33% compared to the same period in 2025. However, compared to Q1/2024, this level remains significantly lower, indicating that the recovery is still in its early stage following last year’s strong adjustment.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Entering 2026, the U.S. whitefish market has shown complex developments as global cod supply continues to tighten, while the U.S. trade environment becomes less stable. In this context, the U.S. market has had to become more flexible in sourcing alternative whitefish. However, relying heavily on Alaska pollock is not a long-term solution, as it is a strictly managed fishery with quotas and sustainability regulations, limiting any rapid increase in output to offset cod shortages.
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