A two -fold trio of the house legislators introduced the Safer Shrimp Imports ACT on 13 May, with the aim of sharpening the federal supervision of imported shrimps, protecting American consumers and strengthening the wrestling Gulf coast -shrimp industry.
Led by representatives Mike Ezell, R-MS, Julia Letlow, R-La and Troy Carter, D-LA, builds the legislation on a senate proposal, S.667, by Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS and addresses the “Make America Remory Remory” Initiative To improves.
With around 90 percent of the shrimp used in the United States, imported from countries such as India and Ecuador, often with less strict food safety standards, the account tries to close holes. The FDA is currently testing less than 0.1 percent of shrimp imports for prohibited substances, a GAP critics say that consumers make consumers vulnerable to infected seafood, according to the Hyde-Smith press release on 24 February.
Shrimp Import Safety measures
The Safer Shrimp Imports Act would require that the Food and Drug Administration increases testing for contaminants such as antibiotics, pesticides and bacteria. It would require shrimp exporters to meet the American safety standards, using a similar “equivalence” framework used by the USDA for imported catfish, ensuring that the overseas producers are not held on looser rules. The legislation would also oblige the public reporting of inspection results, which are already a matter of pubic record.
“Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, I know how important the shrimp industry is not for our economy, but also in our way of life,” Ezell said on 13 May on 13 May. “Our local golf coast fencers play according to the rules, while foreign producers flood the market with unsafe, low quality products.”
Protection of Gulf Coast -shrimp
The bill is a supplement to the Save Our Shrimpers Act, a separate 2025 bill proposal partly sponsored by Ezell, Letlow, Carter and led by Rep. Troy Nehls, R-TX, who forbids American funds to support foreign shrimp agriculture through international financial institutions.
Both accounts are addressed on economic challenges with which Gulf Coast shrimps are confronted, which claim that foreign producers benefit from subsidies and lax regulations. In 2024, the FDA 47 shrimp inventions due to infection, with attention to supervisory hiases, as reported by the Southern Shrimp Alliance.
Letlow emphasized the economic toll on Louisiana, a large shrimp -producing state.
“I work with @repezell and @reptroycarter to hold foreign governments responsible for dumping inferior shrimp in our markets, polluting our food supply and undermining our Louisiana shrimps,” she said at X Post on 14 May.
Industrial support and subsequent steps
The American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) and Southern Shrimp Alliance support the Safer Shrimp Imports Act strong.
“We have worked hard almost a decade to ensure that foreign shrimp producers meet the same strict health and safety requirements as our domestic producers,” said Aspa President Trey Pearson.
John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, said: “The Safer Shrimp Imports Act requires foreign shrimps to meet the same food safety standards as domestic shrimp, which protects consumers and leveling the playing field for domestic industry.”
The bill was sent to the Energy and Commerce Committee; The counterpart of the Senate, S.667, is waiting for action in the committee.
(To register for a free subscription to Food Safety News, Click here.)