Sponsor
Cindy Hyde-Smith
Senator · R-MS
Senator · R-MS
The bill increases seafood safety and provides clearer import standards, but does so at the cost of higher compliance burdens and likely higher shrimp prices, which may exclude some foreign suppliers from the U.S. market.
U.S. consumers are less likely to be exposed to contaminated or unsafe imported shrimp because the FDA can block shrimp from countries whose inspection systems don't meet equivalence criteria.
U.S. importers and retailers gain clearer standards and greater predictability for shrimp imports because foreign governments must demonstrate equivalence and provide laws/regulations for FDA review.
Congress (and state-level oversight bodies) receives regular implementation information because the Secretary must report within one year and then annually, improving transparency and legislative oversight.
Middle-class families and small retailers may face higher shrimp prices if imports from noncompliant countries are blocked, because supply could fall.
U.S. importers and foreign suppliers will incur added compliance costs and paperwork to demonstrate equivalence, potentially disrupting trade relationships and raising operating costs for small import businesses.
Workers and suppliers in exporting countries could be effectively excluded from the U.S. market if their governments cannot or will not meet the criteria, harming foreign workers and potentially reducing long-term supply diversity.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires FDA to secure agreements or find inspection systems equivalent and bans shrimp imports from countries that do not comply starting one year after enactment.
Official title: Amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to provide for the inspection of foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold shrimp for consumption in the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 20, 2025 by Cindy Hyde-Smith · Last progress February 20, 2025
Requires the FDA to negotiate agreements with foreign governments that have registered shrimp-processing facilities and bars shrimp imports from countries whose inspection systems for shrimp are not judged equivalent within one year of enactment. Equivalence means the foreign government has staffing and enforcement that ensure uniform application of laws covering shrimp production, transport, and processing; shrimp from noncompliant countries are deemed adulterated and banned from admission. The Secretary must report to Congress within one year and annually on implementation.