Reps. Carter, Higgins Are Protecting Americans from Dangerous Seafood Imports
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) introduced the bipartisan Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, which grants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) additional authority to destroy foreign products that fail health inspections at import facilities, ensuring that contaminated, unsafe, and mislabeled seafood imports do not harm American consumers.
"This legislation will protect Louisiana’s health and support our seafood economy,” said Rep. Carter. “By granting the FDA the necessary authority to destroy food products that fail to meet our strict health and safety standards, we are closing a dangerous loophole that has allowed contaminated seafood to enter our markets. This bill protects consumers from potential health risks and upholds the integrity of our food supply chain, while supporting Louisiana fishermen and seafood processors.”
Historically, the FDA has been responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of food, medicine, and medical devices. Currently, any FDA-regulated medical devices and medication can be destroyed if the agency deems the imported item a health risk for public use. However, this authority does not extend to imported food products that are inspected and fail to meet U.S. health and safety standards. Foreign entities routinely violate FDA standards by contaminating seafood imports with harmful chemicals that pose major health risks. These same companies can also “port shop” and utilize other ports of entry if they fail inspection at their initial port of entry.
“Billions of pounds of uninspected seafood continue to enter our country, causing major health concerns,” said Rep. Higgins. “We must prioritize the health and safety of the American people by holding foreign shipments to the same high standards that our U.S. producers face. In my opinion, foreign products don’t even come close to the quality of Louisiana seafood. This legislation provides the FDA with the authority to destroy illegal seafood imports and ensures that contaminated products don’t reach American markets.”
“Imported shrimp and seafood products that are potentially dangerous for consumers need to be destroyed,” said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Giving these products back to the foreign shipper does little to incentivize them to address safety problems before shipping products to this country. We thank Representatives Higgins and Carter for leading a bipartisan effort to get rid of a ridiculous limitation on the FDA’s authority and improve the safety of this country’s food supply.”
Background
In March, Congressman Carter and a bipartisan coalition of Gulf representatives introduced the Save Our Shrimpers Act of 2025. This bill would prohibit federal funds from being made available to International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to finance any activity relating to shrimp farming, shrimp processing, or the export of shrimp from any foreign country to the United States.
Congressman Carter also sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jameison Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick outlining his concerns about harms inflicted on the U.S. domestic shrimp industry due to unfair trade practices and non-reciprocal trade agreements.
The Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act is endorsed by the Southern Shrimp Alliance.
Full bill text can be found here.
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