Pre-Shipment Inspection for Frozen Pangasius and Shrimp: What to Check Before the Container Is Sealed

Once the reefer doors close and the seal goes on, you lose sight of your goods for weeks. A pre-shipment inspection is your last chance to confirm that the lot matches the contract. This guide lists what to check for frozen pangasius and vannamei shrimp, and which record each check produces. Agree the checklist with your supplier in the contract, before production starts.

Agree the rules before anyone opens a carton

Write the product specification, the sampling plan and the acceptance criteria into the purchase contract. The Codex General Guidelines on Sampling (CXG 50-2004) state that the users of sampling plans must agree on the acceptable quality level (AQL) or limiting quality used to judge lots.

Name the inspector and the remedy if a check fails.

1. Sampling plan

Define the lot first. CXG 50 notes that for internationally traded commodities the lot size is usually stated in the shipping manifest.

CXG 50 describes sampling by attributes (pass or fail per unit) and by variables (measured values such as weight). Unless the parties specify otherwise, it uses normal inspection level II. It also gives a model with two defect classes: a low AQL, for example 0.65%, for serious nonconformities and a higher AQL, for example 6.5%, for less serious ones. A lot is accepted only when it passes each plan.

For seafood, set tight criteria for safety defects such as foreign matter and wider criteria for quality defects such as broken shrimp. Draw cartons from different pallets, heights and production codes in the cold store, and record each carton number you open.

2. Net weight and deglazing

Glaze protects against dehydration, but it is water, and net weight should exclude it. Weigh each sampled unit frozen, remove the glaze by the method written in the contract and weigh it again. Compare the result with the declared net weight and the agreed tolerance. Our guide to shrimp glazing percentage and net weight in the EU explains the calculation step by step.

3. Count, size and form

For shrimp, count the pieces per unit of weight after deglazing and match it to the declared grade. Confirm the form is correct: head-on, headless or peeled. See HOSO, HLSO and PD shrimp forms for the definitions.

For pangasius, check the fillet weight range per piece, the trim, colour and pieces outside the range. Our guide to buying frozen pangasius fillets from Vietnam covers these points. Block frozen product needs thawing before you can count it, while IQF pieces can be counted frozen. The IQF vs block frozen shrimp article explains the difference.

4. Core temperature

The Codex Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (CXC 52-2003) says quick freezing is not complete until the product reaches -18 °C or lower at the thermal centre after thermal stabilization.

Drill a small hole into the centre of several units from different cartons and insert a calibrated probe. Measure fast, inside the cold store, and record every reading against its carton number.

5. Thaw and sensory checks

Thaw a subsample by the agreed method, for example in a sealed bag under cold running water. Then check odour, colour, texture and appearance. On shrimp, look for black spot and broken pieces. On pangasius, look for blood spots, gaping, yellow flesh and bones. Cook a portion to check for taints.

CXC 52 includes end-product specifications in its appendixes to help buyers and sellers describe the quality provisions used in trade. Where no Codex standard exists, it points to national regulations or commercial specifications. Write your defect list and limits down.

6. Packing and labelling

Check bags and master cartons for damage. Match the carton marks to the packing list: product name, size, net weight, lot or production code, production date and the establishment approval number. Confirm the labels meet the rules of the destination market. EU and UK buyers can use our EU fish labelling guide for pangasius and vannamei shrimp. Buyers in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Mexico and Colombia should confirm local label text with their importer of record.

7. Container, reefer, logger and seal

Inspect the empty container before loading. It should be clean, dry, odour free and undamaged, with intact door gaskets and a working reefer unit. Check that the set point on the display matches the booking and the contract, and that the unit was pre-cooled as the carrier advises. Load quickly and stay below the load line so air can circulate.

Place a temperature logger in the load and record its serial number. After closing, record and photograph the seal number. It must match the bill of lading and the packing list. CXC 52 advises that transport records be kept to ensure full product tracing.

Take these photos, in order:

1. Empty container interior and the reefer display showing the set point.
2. Probe readings next to the carton marks.
3. Deglazing weights on the scale, frozen and deglazed.
4. Thawed samples on a clean white surface.
5. Carton marks and labels.
6. The load at one third, two thirds and full.
7. Logger placement with its serial number.
8. Closed doors with the seal number readable.

8. Documents

Review drafts before the vessel sails. The usual set covers the health certificate issued by the competent authority for your destination, a catch certificate where the destination requires one, production and traceability records that link lot codes to production dates, the packing list, the inspection report with photos, the temperature log and the bill of lading.

Checklist at a glance

How we work with buyers

We share pre-shipment photos and samples on request, and we can work to the inspection checklist agreed in your contract.

FAQ

Who should carry out the pre-shipment inspection?

Any party both sides accept in the contract. That may be your QC staff, an independent inspection company, or supplier QC with photo evidence. A written method matters more than the name on the report.

Does a pre-shipment inspection replace border checks at destination?

No. The authority of the importing country runs its own controls. CXG 50 notes that the responsible authority is designated by the importing country and normally sets the inspection level.

What happens if a lot fails?

Follow the remedy in the contract: re-sort, re-glaze, re-pack or replace before loading. For a run of shipments, CXG 50 says that if two out of five or fewer successive lots are not accepted, tightened inspection must be introduced.

Sources

• Codex Alimentarius, Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (CXC 52-2003), FAO/WHO
• Codex Alimentarius, General Guidelines on Sampling (CXG 50-2004), FAO/WHO

Request the TBESFOOD Spec Pack to see our product specifications and agree an inspection checklist for your next container.