US welcomes import of mollusks from Spain and the Netherlands

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Commission (EC) have taken important steps to open the market for the sale of raw molluscan shellfish, including oysters, clams, mussels and scallops, from both the United States and the European Union to their consumers. This was confirmed through the passing of the FDA’s equivalence determination, published earlier this week. Initially, certain firms in Washington and Massachusetts will have access to the EU market. US firms in other states soon will have an opportunity to be considered, using a streamlined process established by FDA and the EC. The FDA has announced its first-ever equivalence determination with a notice in the Federal Register – the daily journal of the US Government. The equivalence determination will enable Spain and the Netherlands to export raw bivalve molluscan shellfish to the United States. Specifically, FDA’s equivalence determination finds that the adoption and implementation by Spain and the ...