At long last, U.S. catfish farmers could be on the verge of achieving their objective of preventing Vietnamese pangasius from, as they see it, undermining their market.
From 1 September, all catfish – and pangasius is now officially recognized by the U.S. authorities as being a catfish species, whether produced domestically or imported – will be subject to the scrutiny of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Up until then the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been responsible for ensuring that imported pangasius met all the necessary criteria on food safety. The change in responsibility means that USDA inspectors will visit, and check on, all stages of the production chain in Vietnam, from egg to final packaged product…