March 18, 2009  

LANSING - The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) recently received federal approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) to be a regulatory auditor for shellfish processors and shippers within the state.

“This new certification affords the state’s wholesale shellfish distributors an avenue to ship and sell shellfish to other states,” said Katherine Fedder, MDA’s Food and Dairy Division Director. “We hope this certification will lead to new opportunities for the Michigan food industry to continue growing.”  

Additionally, Vijaya Pandit, a senior food inspector in southeast Michigan, has been appointed MDA’s Shellfish Sanitation Officer (SSO).  As Michigan’s first SSO, Pandit will oversee all audits and train MDA staff.

In order to be approved for interstate shellfish shipping, firms must complete the auditing process and receive a certification number from an ISSC approved regulatory authority such as MDA.  Certification is provided free of charge by the department to Michigan firms.

Lipari Foods and Northern Lakes Seafood Meats in Southeast Michigan recently requested and obtained certification. These firms may now ship shellfish to other states and will be added to a list of approved businesses listed on the MDA Web site at www.michigan.gov/mda-shellfish.

If you would like to become certified for interstate shellfish shipping, please contact Vijaya Pandit, 313-456-1300 or panditv@michigan.gov.