Chinese people’s favorite hometown delicacies such as duck tongue, chicken feet, Chen Pi, blood clams, etc. are all agricultural products that are banned by U.S. Customs. Customs seizures and confiscations of popular local foods are particularly common during the holiday season or after the winter and summer holidays.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agricultural Specialists (CBPAS) at New York’s JFK Airport inspected a shipment from China on March 13. During the inspection, CBP agricultural specialists found more than 900 pounds of “prohibited poultry meat” – duck tongue and frozen fresh goose sausage products used in Chinese hot pots – and approximately 265 pounds of blood clams.
CBP agricultural specialists seized and destroyed the duck tongues and goose intestines in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. The blood clams were then turned over to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
In total, CBP agricultural specialists seized approximately 600 pounds of fresh duck tongues, more than 330 pounds of frozen duck intestines, and 260 pounds of live blood clams, according to the airport’s customs notification.
Blood clams, also known as snail clams in Guangdong, are a very popular delicacy in coastal China. However, in the United States, it is illegal to ship shellfish from uncertified waters to New York State because of the risk of clams carrying the hepatitis A virus. Because China is not an access country on the U.S. Public health Service Act’s list of certified shellfish, it is illegal to import blood clams from China.
“CBP agricultural specialists are the first line of defense against the introduction of animal diseases that could seriously harm the state’s agricultural economy.” Troy Miller, director of field operations for the New York office, said.
According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, China is affected by African swine fever, classic swine fever (CSF), Newcastle disease (ND), foot-and-mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza and swine vesicular disease (SVD).
Blood clams are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because these animals can live in an oxygen-deficient environment and therefore can transmit diseases such as typhoid and hepatitis to people who handle or eat them.
Agriculture is the largest industry and employment sector in the United States, with more than $1 trillion in annual economic activity, CBP said. The greatest risks to agriculture are exotic pests and exotic animal diseases. 2019 CBP agricultural specialists intercepted 314 pests and quarantined 4,695 quarantine materials, including plants, meat, animal byproducts and soil, at U.S. ports of entry on essentially a daily basis.
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