WWL’s Tommy Tucker spoke to Louisiana State Representative Mike Bayham about his resolution (HCR 8) to ensure proper FDA testing of imported seafood into the United States. Bayham says other countries such as Japan, Canada, and the European Union are much more rigorous in their testing of seafood imports.
He goes on to note that there are chemicals and antibiotics present in many farm-raised seafood products in Central America, South America, and Asia that are banned here in the United States.
Some of those chemicals have been banned for domestic use by the FDA, yet remain part of the food chain. “While those chemicals can’t be used here because they’re considered hazardous, they’re being used in other countries. Because we aren’t as diligent in our testing of seafood products, these contaminated seafood products (predominantly shrimp) are getting into our food supply here through imports,” Bayham illustrates.
Bayham says that he appreciates how much the tariffs have impacted local fishermen in a positive way by allowing them to remain more competitive. However, he emphasizes that this is a separate issue that highlights safety more than anything. “This is a big problem because of the way these operations overseas are managed. They’re not managed to our standards here I the United States,” Bayham adds. He hopes that the congressional delegation will focus their efforts on this problem as it remains an increasing concern.