Vietnams catfish safety procedures for export approved by the US

Vietnam has finally perfected its food safety procedure for exported catfish which the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced was on par with that of the U.S. on November 4, opening new doors for Vietnam’s catfish export.

Processing catfish for export in Dong Thap province (Photo: SGGP)

According to the United States’ Farm Bill 2014, in order for Vietnam to continue exporting catfish (mainly Pangasius) to the U.S., it must develop a food safety control system on par with that of the U.S. in regards to the legal system, enforcement capacity and food safety during the whole process, including breeding, rearing, transporting, preliminarily preparing, processing and exporting.

To satisfy the new regulations, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been working to improve its catfish export process for three years.

This approval will expand the market for Vietnamese exported catfish not only within the U.S. but also other countries, as well as encouraging U.S. importers to bring this product into their territories, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong predicted.

In May 2018, the Food Safety Inspection Agency (FSIS) under USDA conducted a field survey in Vietnam. Survey results have showed that 80% of US citizens were in favor of Vietnamese catfish, compared to 57% favoring Chinese product and 40% Thai.

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) also announced preliminary results for anti-dumping duties on Pangasius and Basa fish from Vietnam in the 15th period of review (POR15), said Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries.

Vietnam currently has 1.3 million tons of pangasius in production, while India has 650,000 tons, Bangladesh 450,000 tons, and Indonesia 110,000 tons, which will create fierce competitions for Vietnamese market.