In the News

By now, many of you have seen or heard about the biased segment on seafood imports that appeared on the Today Show (Wednesday, November 17). We are dismayed that this formerly respected news and feature television show would stoop to scare tactics and blatant untruths to gain ratings, but that appears to be the case. In an unwarranted attack on the FDA, the Today Show producers made claims that are sure to frighten consumers. We applaud the work of the National Fisheries Institute in pushing back and challenging the Today Show's "facts," and suggest that the time may have come for those of us in the seafood business to change the channel. Shame on NBC for doing such a disservice to their viewers and the way they treated John Connelly of the NFI. And bravo to John for standing up for the truth. The transcript for the entire interview with John can be found here. We think you will agree that he interview was never intended to be fair.

The QVD Commitment

Contrary to the segment, seafood importers are very involved in food safety measures. And QVD is leading the way. Be assured that we are committed to always providing the safest aquaculture products. All QVD products are tested by certified independent European laboratories in Vietnam prior to shipment and are guaranteed to be free of antibiotics. We also test our products randomly in the US. Agencies in Vietnam regularly test the water of the Mekong. Our farmers test the water in our ponds. Our employees test fish coming into and out of our processing facility, and test the facility itself multiple times every day to monitor conditions and ensure no banned substances are present in our products at any stage. And we're not alone in our measures - everyone in the seafood importing business strives to provide safe products.

As you know, QVD's production facility is fully HACCP compliant. In addition, we have the first USDC-approved Pangasius facility in Vietnam, and have been recertified four years running. The USDC inspects facilities biannually, and we are proud to let you know that just last week we again passed inspection.

We don't just sell Pangasius - we eat and love it. We feed our families delicious, healthy meals with Pangasius weekly. Would we do that if we didn't trust the safety of our products?

QVD's New Video

To help you in your communications with your partners, QVD has been working on a new video that specifically addresses our stringent safety measures and depicts a realistic image of Vietnam, not the biased, negative imagery being portrayed by scaremongers. The video will be completed and posted to our site on Wednesday, November 24th.

In Support of Integrity

We applaud the FDA for the valuable work they do to ensure all seafood imports are monitored for safety. We applaud the National Fisheries Institute for their support.

We are disappointed in the disservice Jeff Rossen and the Today Show producers aired. It was not a true investigation: they did not research the story, used misleading facts disseminated from a protectionist group, and ignored resources from neutral organizations such as the CDC, a former Under Secretary from the USDA, and thorough food safety facts from the FDA. Only when journalists can provide truly neutral information, based on facts and not sensationalism, can we trust and respect these so-called investigative reports

We are especially heartened to see the positive support generated by the segment on the Today show. Many online industry news sites, including IntraFish and Seafood Source, have posted articles blasting Today for their one-sided reporting. IntraFish's John Fiorillo posted this article blasting the US catfish industry for taking the low road. More and more organizations are stepping forward in their support of imported seafood as well.

To learn more about the FDA's stringent procedures, visit www.fda.gov. And for the latest information from National Fisheries Institute, be sure to visit www.aboutseafood.com

Turn to QVD for Information

QVD, the leader in aquaculture products including Pangasius from Vietnam, is environmentally, economically and socially responsible. We take every course to ensure our business is truly sustainable. QVD is committed to providing the highest quality and safest products.

If at any time you have questions or concerns, please come to us for information at 425-637-0090 or visit www.qvdseafood.com/foodsafety.