About FDA

Description: The Office of Food Safety, working collaboratively with shellfish specialists in ORA, is charged with promoting the safe production of molluscan shellfish for human consumption. To do so, the FDA participates in the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC), a voluntary cooperative body of federal, state and industry representatives that develops national guidelines for the regulation of shellfish production. With FDA concurrence, guidelines developed through the ISSC are adopted as standards for the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), the federal/state cooperative program recognized by the FDA for the sanitary control of shellfish distributed in interstate commerce.

Accomplishment: All objectives on Vibrio spp. have been completed. Two of the objectives are ongoing: 1) quarterly updates on research to develop Vibrio forecasting tools to ensure alignment of research with policy needs and 2) quarterly meetings of the Vibrio Assistance Review Board (VARB) with dissemination of final action summary to the FDA National Shellfish Team and ISSC within five business days. FDA continues to work with NOAA and external stakeholders on forecasting tools for Vibrio, primarily V. parahaemolyticus. FDA�s VARB continues to review, prioritize, and track submissions to FDA from State Shellfish Control Authorities (SSCA) and industry requesting Vibrio spp. related research and technical assistance. To date, the VARB has supported joint FDA-SSCA projects, with industry participation in many cases, that resulted in the generation of data that was used to inform control practices for V. parahaemolyticus. For example, baseline levels of V.p. have been established for states to aid in (1) the determination of whether to allow the summer harvest of shellfish (South Carolina) and (2) the understanding of V.p. levels in a location associated with illnesses (Massachusetts). The most recent joint FDA-SSCA project undertaken evaluates risk mitigation strategies (e.g., submerging) associated with typical aquaculture practices that could otherwise promote Vibrio spp. growth (Alabama).