FDA criticizes Minnesota seafood company

Washington -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has asked for a permanent injunction against Captain's Select Seafood Inc. for violating federal law.

The FDA said the Minneapolis company has an "extensive history of violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the agency's Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point regulations." The HAACP regulations require all seafood processors to develop and implement adequate plans that identify all food safety hazards likely to occur for each kind of seafood product, and contain preventative measures the processor can use to control such hazards.

Captain's Select Seafood makes a variety of fish and fishery products. The FDA said the violations it documented pose a public health hazard because, without adequate controls, products made by Captain's Select Seafood could harbor pathogenic bacteria that could cause serious illnesses.

The complaint -- filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota -- follows a series of violations dating to April 2004, the FDA said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.