Showing posts with label U.S. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S. Show all posts

Monday, 6 October 2025

US FDA slaps new requirements for Indonesia's shrimp and spices after radioactive contamination

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new import certification, opens new tab requirements for shrimp and spices from Indonesia after cases of radioactive contamination were detected earlier.
In a posting on its website on Saturday, Indonesian time, the agency said that it will implement the import certification requirements from certain regions of Indonesia starting on October 31, 2025.
The certification requires firms on the red list with evidence of Caesium 137 contamination to have an accredited third party to verify the control of the radioactive element.
Once the firms are taken off the red list, they will still be subject to restrictions and will need to provide information indicated under the yellow list for each shipment.
Firms on the yellow list covering certain foods with Caesium 137 contamination risks are required to have shipment certification from an entity designated by the FDA, which must be an agency or representative of the Indonesian government.
FDA's website says Caesium 137 is a radionuclide present in the environment mainly as the result of nuclear testing or accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Indonesia does not possess nuclear weapons or nuclear power plants.

The FDA in August issued an advisory to consumers, distributors and sellers in the U.S. not to eat, sell or serve frozen shrimp processed by local seafood company PT Bahari Makmur Sejati, after their products were contaminated with Caesium 137.
The shrimp was processed at an industrial estate near Jakarta that was later found to be contaminated with the radioactive element and Indonesia's nuclear agency is seeking to pinpoint the size of the area affected.
Bara Hasibuan, a spokesperson for the investigation into the incident, told Reuters: "We just received the report few hours ago. Need time to figure what steps need to be taken."

Reporting by Dewi Kurniawati Editing by Shri Navaratnam 

Gold sails past $3,900/oz for first time


Gold surged past the $3,900-an-ounce level for the first time on Monday, driven by safe-haven demand following a fall in the yen and a U.S. government shutdown, while growing expectations of additional Federal Reserve rate cuts also lent support.

Spot gold was up 1% at $3,925.91 per ounce by 0631 GMT, after hitting all-time high of $3,944.63 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures for December delivery climbed 1.1% to $3,951.60.
A line chart titled "Spot gold price in USD per oz" that tracks the metric over time.
A line chart titled "Spot gold price in USD per oz" that tracks the metric over time.
"Yen weakness on the back of the Japanese LDP elections has left investors with one less safe-haven asset to go to, and gold was able to capitalise," said KCM Trade Chief Market Analyst Tim Waterer.
"The enduring U.S. government shutdown means that a cloud of uncertainty still hangs over the U.S. economy, and the potential size of any GDP impact."
Gold is a go-to asset for investors under these circumstances, particularly with the Fed expected to cut rates further this month, Waterer said.
The yen tumbled against the U.S. dollar by the most in five months after fiscal dove Sanae Takaichi was elected to lead the ruling party and become the next prime minister.
The Trump administration will start mass layoffs of federal workers if U.S. President Donald Trump decides negotiations with congressional Democrats to end a partial government shutdown are "absolutely going nowhere," a senior White House official said on Sunday.

Fed Governor Stephen Miran pressed for an aggressive rate cut trajectory again on Friday, citing the impact of Trump administration's economic policies.
Gold has climbed 49% so far this year after a 27% rise in 2024, helped by strong central bank buying, increased demand for gold-backed exchange-traded funds, a weaker dollar and growing interest from retail investors seeking a hedge amid rising trade and geopolitical tensions.
The rally found fresh support last month after the Fed cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point and indicated it would steadily lower borrowing costs for the rest of the year.
According to the CME FedWatch tool, investors are pricing in additional 25-basis-point cuts in both October and December, with probabilities of 95% and 83%, respectively.
Non-yielding gold thrives in a low-interest-rate environment and during economic uncertainties.
Spot gold broke the $3,000-per-ounce level for the first time in March and $3,700 in mid-September. Many brokerages have turned bullish on the rally.
Elsewhere, spot silver climbed 1% to $48.46 per ounce, platinum rose 0.2% to $1,608.65 and palladium gained 0.3% to $1,264.43.

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