SEAFOODNEWS.COM — April 23, 2015 –The FDA has removed Import Alert (IA) number 16-08, which applies to the action level of mercury in swordfish, from its enforcement list.
Import Alert 16-08 covers the "Detention Without Physical Examination (Automatic Detention) of Swordfish For Methyl Mercury" and gives the FDA authority to automatically hold all imported shipments of swordfish and processed swordfish products from any foreign country unless they were from shippers on the FDA Green List.
An email from the FDA confirmed that 16-08 enforcement is on hold.
"At this time, FDA is not enforcing the action level of 1 ppm for mercury in swordfish; therefore, IA 16-08 would not apply," the email said.
Multiple sources have indicated that it is a strange move by the FDA to completely remove an IA number from the list.
Some in the industry have speculated that the FDA may be rewriting the alert.
This story originally appeared on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It has been reprinted with permission.