DeLauro Statement on Consumer Reports Frozen Shrimp Study

Finds Potentially Harmful Bacteria and Illegal Antibiotic Residues

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today on a new Consumer Reports study finding potentially harmful bacteria and illegal antibiotic residues in frozen shrimp. DeLauro is former Chairwoman, and current member, of the subcommittee that funds the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for ensuring the safety of shrimp.

“Consumer Reports has clearly shown that public health is at risk due to the FDA’s inability to inspect the glut of imported shrimp flooding our shores. Congress needs to increase the FDA’s budget immediately so that they have sufficient resources to test much more than one percent of foreign shrimp shipments, as is currently the case.

“Further, this study underlines how harmful it would be to proceed with the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal without addressing food safety. TPP would cause real threats to our health by making it even easier for unsafe seafood to reach our markets. With more imports flooding in from Vietnam and Malyasia, it would become harder for the FDA’s inspectors to do their jobs. Congress must not grant Fast Track authority for a trade deal that would threaten the safety of our food and therefore the health of our families.”

Consumer Reports tested 342 samples of frozen shrimp (284 raw and 58 cooked) and found at least one type of bacteria on 60 percent of the raw samples. Seven samples of raw shrimp tested positive for the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA, which can cause serious skin and blood infections. Illegal antibiotic residues were detected in 11 samples of raw imported farmed shrimp.

Each American consumes an average of almost four pounds of shrimp per year.


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