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The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has responded to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee to explain and defend the strength of its certification system.
Several senators sent letters last May requesting information about their certification systems and how they address potential safety issues in imported seafood supply chains.
The request came after the FDA issued alerts in 2025 regarding imported shrimp potentially contaminated with cesium-137, a radioactive material, according to the Shrimp Alliance.
In 2023, Senator Bill Cassidy (Chair of the Senate HELP Committee) introduced two bills to protect Louisiana's rice and shrimp industries from unfair competition posed by low-cost products from China and India in U.S. markets.
ASC explained that its certification program promotes responsible aquaculture through strict standards, independent audits, traceability requirements, and transparent oversight.
While it is not a food safety regulator, the program includes measures to ensure legal compliance, responsible practices, supply chain integrity, social responsibility, and greater accountability across the seafood industry.
"ASC takes concerns relating to imported seafood seriously and actively monitors regulatory alerts and other credible reports relating to ASC-certified entities and supply chains. As noted in this response, no ASC-labeled shrimp products were implicated in the FDA’s 2025 Cesium-137 contamination alerts relating to imported shrimp," the statement reads.