The Recall Desk
Agency classPublic Health AlertOur severity:ModerateUSDA FSIS·PHA-05142021-01·Announced 2021-05-14

USDA Issues Public Health Alert for Ineligible Frozen Fish Imported from Brazil

USDA FSIS issued a public health alert for approximately 165 pounds of frozen fish imported from Brazil, a country ineligible to export these products to the U.S.

The agency’s classification

USDA FSIS: Public Health Alert

Public Health Alert is a warning FSIS issues when there is a food-safety concern but a recall is not requested, typically because the affected product is no longer available for purchase.

This is the agency’s own classification, taken from its notice. The severity score below is our assessment, not the agency’s. How recall classes work

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 2/5 (Moderate).

Minor labeling or packaging issue, or a voluntary precautionary recall. Risk of harm is low but real — follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The recall is classified as a Public Health Alert due to an import violation involving an ineligible country, but no illnesses or injuries have been reported, and the products are believed to be no longer available for purchase, fitting the criteria for a moderate severity precautionary action.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) issued a public health alert for approximately 165 pounds of imported frozen Siluriformes products. The products were imported from Brazil, which is ineligible to export Siluriformes products to the United States. The affected items were produced on April 23, 2021, and consisted of 13-14 lb. cases of gutted frozen fish identified by the scientific name Hypostomus.

The products were imported by EB Express Provisions Inc., a Newark, New Jersey firm, and shipped to retail locations in Massachusetts. The fish were removed from their cases and sold individually by weight in plastic bags at Mass. Mineirao Markets. The issue was discovered when FSIS followed up on a referral from USDA’s Smuggling Interdiction & Trade Compliance Program regarding the import of Cascudo fish (Hypostomus sp.) from Brazil. The packaging bore an ineligible establishment number (S.I.F. 188) and did not bear a USDA mark of inspection.

FSIS is concerned that some product may still be in consumers' freezers. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a health care provider. A formal recall was not recommended because it is believed the affected products are no longer available for purchase.

The recalled product

Product
FSIS Issues Public Health Alert for Ineligible Siluriformes Products Imported From Brazil
Category
Food — Frozen Fish
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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