SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — January 27, 2014 — In response to allegations made recently in the trade press regarding U.S. certification of seafood products held in storage in Korea, NOAA said it feels it is important to provide an accurate representation of the facts and issued the following statement:
The large volumes of fisheries products, primarily groundfish, harvested in Alaska and the lack of adequate cold storage facilities have forced the industry to warehouse product in forward storage facilities in Asia, principally Korea. This has led to logistical challenges for certification.
In late 2012, the NOAA Seafood Inspection Program reviewed procedures for certification of such products being held in foreward warehouses in light of new certification requirements of destination countries, including China.
The People's Republic of China requires a signed health certificate, signed prior to export, indicating the seafood being imported has been inspected by the competent government authority of the most recent exporting country. In some instances, if the product was held in a bonded warehouse, it was not considered to have entered the customs territory of the country in which the forward warehouse is situated. In those cases where the local Competent Authority would not issue a certificate, NOAA would do so, based on the U.S. processors’ participation and performance in the Seafood Inspection Program and product traceability.
In January 2013 the Seafood Inspection Program, in consultation with industry leaders, initiated a pilot program to certify seafood products prior to leaving the United States, that might be ultimately destined for China. Under the "Intent to Export" pilot program, the Seafood Inspection Program issued a master certificate for product destined for China, prior to export from the United States. This allowed continued traceability if the shipment was subsequently sub-divided into smaller lots with different destinations. After operating the pilot program for a year, NOAA has decided to pursue other options for addressing certification of products in foreign forward warehouses, but ultimately destined for China.
Seafood Inspection staff will travel to Korea to discuss certification by Korean authorities of U.S. products stored in Korean bonded warehouses by Korean authorities.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.