Ark. Board of Health approves add'l testing of food

Even though the rule clarification will go through public comment before final approval, the state Board of Health gave preliminary approval Thursday to new rules to clarify the state's power to investigate food -- specifically catfish. A couple of our neighbors (MS, AL) found antibiotics in Chinese catfish after testing, which prompted those states (and Louisiana) to ban imports of the fish. One test here in Arkansas did discover an anti-fungal agent in one 2,500 lb. batch of imported fish, which was quarantined and destroyed, according to Dr. Paul Halverson. Halverson also cited the need for additional tests by noting that while the USDA inspects eggs, meats and poultry, an overworked FDA handles fish and everything else. Here's the Associated Press article.

The catfish industry is serious bizness here in Arkansas -- that's why it's hard to imagine the need to import much of it (which I suppose is a testament to the sheer amount we consume). Arkansas is the 2nd largest catfish producer in the nation, and the industry in Chicot County alone is estimated to generate 2,665 jobs.

As an aside, many people don't realize that there is a law on the books regulating the sale and marketing of foreign fish here in Arkansas. Ark. Code Ann. §20-61-302 requires menus in restaurants to identify whether the catfish being sold is farm raised catfish, river or lake catfish, imported catfish, or ocean catfish. I've always thought that that law seems like an undue burden for the small Arkansas restaurateur, but these new testing results may make people thankful that it's there while they take a closer look at the menu.