USDA Looking to Purchase 470,000 Pounds of Catfish Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it was looking to buy 470,000 pounds of catfish products for use in domestic food distribution programs. Bids to sell catfish products are due by May 15.

Acceptances will be announced by 5 p.m. CT on May 22 and deliveries will be made between July 1 and December 30, 2023.

The solicitation was a 100% Small Business Set Aside for both unbreaded raw catfish fillets and breaded oven ready catfish strips...

USDA Shares Purchase Awards for Pollock, Catfish Products

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced purchase awards for catfish products and pollock products.

From the pollock side, the USDA bought just over $1.6 million of frozen Alaska pollock products. In total, 543,200 pounds of pollock was purchased.

Channel Fish Processing landed $817,191.43 from the USDA for frozen pollock sticks. Meanwhile, Trident Seafoods received $785,268 for frozen pollock in 49.5 lb. bulk containers.

Find the pollock purchase award description from the USDA here...

USDA Looking to Buy 1.4 Million Pounds of Catfish Through Build Back Better Initiative

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) invited offers to sell catfish products for use in domestic food distribution programs.

The USDA’s latest purchase request was made through the Biden administration’s Build Back Better Initiative. According to the solicitation, bids are due by September 14, acceptances will be announced by September 23 and deliveries will be made between November 1, 2022 through January 31, 2023.

In total, the USDA is eyeing 1.44 million pounds of frozen, breaded and oven-ready catfish strips...

GAO Recommends USDA Strengthen Efforts to Prevent Unsafe Drug Residue in Imported Seafood

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a number of “priority open recommendations” for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement including increasing its focus on efforts to prevent unsafe drug residue in imported seafood, among other recommendations.

The GAO wants the USDA to “protect the safety of the food supply” by having the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) coordinate and communicate with the FDA in developing drug residue testing methods and corresponding maximum residue levels (MRLs) for imported catfish...

Heartland Catfish Moves to Eliminate Additive; Move Set to Boost Consumer Accessibility

U.S. catfish farmer Heartland Catfish announced it will transition to phosphate-free solutions in a move that will reduce environmental impacts and increase the consumer accessibility of Heartland Catfish products.

The vertically integrated farmer said its frozen products including its frozen fillets and frozen nuggets are injected before freezing with a solution that improves water retention and longevity.

In the past, the company used a solution that included water, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, ascorbic acid and citric acid...

Court Finds Four Importers Guilty in Conspiracy to Illegally Smuggle Banned Catfish

NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement shared that on July 15, four seafood importers were found guilty for their roles in a conspiracy to illegally smuggle prohibited catfish into the United States.

The guilty plea follows special agents and investigators' work to remove an estimated 43,800 pounds of illegal catfish from the seafood supply chain.

“This case demonstrates the importance of collaboration across U.S. government partners to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” said James Landon, Director of NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement (OLE)...