IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK – A follow-up on Pangasius... - Health and safety issues surrounding Vietnamese Pangasius have been dominating news headlines, leading to confused purchasers and uneasy consumers. - Catfish Farmers of America - has attacked imported fish claiming that it is tainted by banned chemicals - pollutants and antibiotics. - The organization is also asserting that the FDA only inspects 2 percent of all seafood entering into the US. European officials opposed to Pangasius are making similar claims with respect to pollution. MEANWHILE the National Fisheries Institute AND the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters & Producers declare that false advertising is MISLEADING consumers and is being used to benefit DOMESTIC companies. SO - what’s true and what’s not? - The FDA does NOT inspect a high percentage of seafood entering the US market. - However - it DOES employ the Hazard Analysis & Critical Point system – a highly effective integrated system that regulates imported seafood BEFORE the product even enters the market, thereby ENSURING safety and eliminating the need for numerous inspections at the border. In terms of Vietnamese farming standards, fish is NO LONGER raised in floating cages in the Mekong River. - IN FACT, they are raised in ponds that adhere to the US’s Safe Quality Food 1000 Codes as well as other international standards for hygiene and safety assurance. - In addition, more and more Pangasius farms are being granted Global Food Agriculture Practice certificates - a mark of the cleanest and safest farming conditions. On a trip last week to Vietnam - I met up with our local Tradex Quality Supervisor and made a visit to our supplier’s Pangasius farm. Let’s take a look. As you can see - at Tradex we make the extra effort to ensure our products are safe and top-quality. - Our 7-Step Quality Control process delivers comprehensive inspections at every stage of processing. - We employ Tradex Quality Supervisors on-site in Vietnam AND China to ensure stringent hygiene and safety standards are met. This next clip is footage of a visit I made to our PROCESSING PLANT while in Vietnam… - Should you have any other concerns regarding the health and safety of Tradex Foods Pangasius - or any other products - please do not hesitate to contact your Account Representative. - We are happy to answer any questions you may have – AND – we can always provide you with an Inspection Report. Thank you for joining me for The Tradex Foods - "3-Minute Market Insight" This is Robert Reierson - “BUY SMART” and “EAT MORE SEAFOOD”

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