NOAA and FDA to Combine Resources on Seafood Inspection

NOAA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unveiled an interagency agreement this week to strengthen seafood inspection and improve seafood safety and quality.
The agreement formalizes the working arrangements between NOAA’s Fisheries Service Seafood Inspection Program and the FDA to reinforce each agency’s efforts through cooperation and information sharing in the inspection of fish, fishery products and establishments. Inspection agents from both agencies will work together when appropriate, and NOAA will share inspection results with FDA.
The agreement strengthens the agencies’ partnership and satisfies a Government Accountability Office recommendation that calls for FDA to consider the results of NOAA inspections when determining the frequency of seafood inspections and the use of limited inspection resources
The NOAA Seafood Inspection Program works with the seafood industry domestically and overseas to help it comply with FDA food regulations and meet industry specifications. More than 30 percent of seafood sold in the U.S. is inspected under NOAA’s voluntary program.
In addition, NOAA inspectors can be stationed on vessels and at processing plants and retail facilities.