WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is issuing a public health alert for approximately 165 pounds of imported frozen Siluriformes products. The products were imported from Brazil, a country ineligible to export Siluriformes products to the United States. A recall was not recommended because it is believed that the affected products are no longer available to be purchased by consumers.
The frozen whole Siluriformes products were produced on April 23, 2021. EB Express Provisions Inc. is the Importer of Record, a Newark, New Jersey firm. The following product is subject to the public health alert:
- 13-14 lbs. cases containing “GUTTED FROZEN FISH SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hypostomus” with a production date of 23/04/2021 represented on the label. The whole frozen fish were removed from the cases and sold individually, by weight, in plastic bags at Mass. Mineirao Markets.
Refer to the label link here for additional product information. The product is identified with an ineligible establishment number (S.I.F. 188) on its packaging. The product does not bear a USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations in Massachusetts.
The problem was discovered when FSIS followed up on a referral from USDA’s Smuggling Interdiction & Trade Compliance Program, regarding Cascudo fish, of the order Siluriformes, product of Brazil. Brazil is not eligible to import raw Siluriformes products into the United States.
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ freezers. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
Consumers and media with questions regarding the public health alert should contact Nelson Araujo, EB Express Provisions Inc, at 973-868-5381 or email eb21araujo@gmail.com.
Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or live chat via Ask USDA from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Consumers can also browse food safety messages at Ask USDA or send a question via email to MPHotline@usda.gov. For consumers that need to report a problem with a meat, poultry, or egg product, the online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System can be accessed 24 hours a day at https://foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.