Class I · Recall · initiated February 3, 2026 · Ongoing
Prime Food Processing recalls uneviscerated dried croaker fish sold in 18 states
A Brooklyn distributor recalled 79 cases of 8-ounce Prime Food Processing Dried Croaker Fish, a product of Vietnam, because the fish was sold uneviscerated, a condition FDA treats as a Class I hazard.
The record
- Firm
- Prime Food Processing LLC., Brooklyn, NY
- Product
- Prime Food Processing Dried Croaker Fish; NET WT: 8oz (227g); Ingredients: Croaker Fish, Salt; CONTAINS: FISH (CROAKER FISH); DISTRIBUTED BY: PFP LLC, Brooklyn, NY, 11211, USA; Product must be thoroughly cleaned and cooked before consumption.; PRODUCT OF VIETNAM; UPC: 6 946976 818000
- Reason, as filed
- “Uneviscerated Fish”
- Classification
- Class I (Class I: reasonable probability of serious health consequences or death)
- Recall number
- H-0519-2026
- Initiated
- February 3, 2026
- Posted by FDA
- March 4, 2026
- Status
- Ongoing · Voluntary: Firm initiated
- Quantity
- 79 cases
- Distribution
- AZ, CA, FL, GA, HI, ID, MA, MD, MO, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, VA, WA, WI
Verify: search any recall number above in FDA's enforcement report database.
Why it happened, in plain English
The filed reason is two words: “Uneviscerated Fish.” It reads like a processing detail and it is not. FDA’s long-standing policy treats salt-cured, dried or smoked fish sold with the viscera in as adulterated, because the gut can carry Clostridium botulinum spores and salting and drying alone do not reliably control them. That is why a dried snack fish gets a Class I.
The record does not say who found the problem or whether any product was tested. The fish is a product of Vietnam, distributed by a Brooklyn firm, and the label says it “must be thoroughly cleaned and cooked before consumption.” A cooking instruction does not change the classification. Only 79 cases went out, but they reached 18 states from Arizona to Wisconsin, which is a wide footprint for a small import lot and shows how far a specialty-grocery distribution network carries one SKU.
Who else should care
Importers and distributors of dried, salted or smoked fish, especially small whole fish from Southeast Asia, where uneviscerated product is a traditional format. The importer is the recalling firm here, not the overseas packer. If you bring in dried fish under your own label, the condition of the fish is your responsibility at the point of entry.
Check: whether your product specification for every dried or salted fish SKU states that the fish is eviscerated, and whether anyone at receiving opens a pack and confirms it rather than relying on the supplier’s description.
Written 2026-09-08. Analysis is editorial; the record above is FDA's.