FDA Begins Third Phase of AI Imported Seafood Pilot Program
On August 15, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the third phase of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Imported Seafood Pilot program. The pilot uses AI and machine learning (ML) to strengthen the screening process for foods entering the U.S. market. Additionally, the pilot focuses on imported seafood because more than 90 percent of the U.S. seafood supply comes from other countries, and in the past, FDA has observed food safety concerns for various imported seafood products along different points in the supply chain.
The third phase builds upon the two previous phases of the pilot under the “New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint.” The pilot program also supports the agency’s efforts as outlined in the “FDA Strategy for the Safety of Imported Food.” The third phase is designed to improve the agency’s ability to quickly identify imported seafood products that may be affected by pathogens, spoilage, the presence of unapproved antibiotic residues, or other hazards.