The U.S Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service [FSIS] has issued a public health alert regarding a consignment of cooked duck blood curds illegally imported from China. A formal recall has not been issued since the importer has not been identified and located.  The product was not accompanied by a certificate of health from authorities in China and was not presented for FSIS inspection after importation.

There is considerable danger in importing products such as duck blood, since it may not have been adequately heat-treated and may transmit pathogens including avian influenza.

Illegal shipment of nontraditional foods and products from China, often smuggled within legal consignments, has the potential to introduce exotic pathogens such as foot and mouth disease, African swine fever and avian influenza.  Illegal importation of pork into the UK was responsible for an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 1999. It is assumed that some form of illegal importation was responsible for the introduction of porcine epidemic diarrhea into the U.S. and Canada in 2013.