US FDA import alert, ongoing supply crunch test China's tilapia sector

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert in May 2024 upon the discovery of excessive levels of chloramphenicol – an antibiotic banned by China that is typically used to treat bacterial infections – in imported tilapia produced by Hainan Eternal Springs Fisheries Co.The alert comes as China’s tilapia sector is already facing such headwinds as low export demand and higher input costs. Chinese tilapia companies are banking on an expected recovery in export sales in 2024 but have emphasized they need to lock up bigger contracts to offset pressure from scarcer, costlier raw material supply.Speaking to SeafoodSource at the 2024 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain, in late April, several Chinese tilapia companies, including a representative from Wenchang City-based Hainan Qinfu Foods, which exports 40 percent of its production to the United States, reported difficulties getting their hands on adequate fish supply, suggesting that Chinese farmers remain wary about ...