According to The Guardian, Catfish Farmers of America (CFA) and the Catfish Institute, are claiming that Chinese and Vietnamese catfish fillets are tainted with pollutants and antibiotics. The institute is calling for country of origin labels on catfish, and the farmers’ body wants the Obama administration to inspect all imports.
But a seafood industry trade body, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), described the TV commercials as “filled with half-truths and hypocrisy”. The NFI president, John Connelly, said: “Claiming this is anything other than a trade issue is laughable.”