Shan Distribution Network Inc. of Carol Stream, Illinois, is recalling approximately 5,084 pounds of frozen breaded swai fish fillet and stick products because they were produced in the United Arab Emirates, a country not eligible to export Siluriformes fish to the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced August 7.
The products went to retail locations in eight states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin. No illnesses have been reported.
The distinguishing feature of this recall is that nothing was found wrong with the fish itself. What was found wrong was the country it came from, and under the federal system governing catfish and related species, that is not a technicality.
Products and States Covered by the Recall
Three items are subject to recall, all under the Al Kabeer brand. As Food Safety News reported the action, they are 13.75-ounce boxes of spicy "Zing Fish Fillets Breaded Partially Cooked Swai Fish Fillets," 10.58-ounce boxes of "Fish Sticks Breaded Swai Fish," and 330-gram boxes of "Breaded Fish Fillets."
The products were produced in December 2025 and carry use-before dates in June 2027. They do not bear an establishment number or a USDA mark of inspection, which is itself the identifying feature, since a product covered by federal Siluriformes inspection would carry both.
That long shelf life is the practical problem for households. A frozen product with a 2027 date purchased last winter can sit untouched in a freezer through several seasons. The recall window here is measured in months, not days.
The Eligibility Rule Behind the Action
Catfish and related species in the order Siluriformes, which includes swai, are regulated differently from most seafood. Rather than falling under FDA jurisdiction like other fish, they are inspected by USDA. FSIS has held jurisdiction over wild-caught and farm-raised Siluriformes sold for human food since March 2016, as the agency describes in its guidance on inspection of Siluriformes fish.
That shift carries a specific consequence for imports. A country cannot ship these species to the United States unless USDA has determined that its inspection system is equivalent to the American one. The FSIS equivalence process covers sanitary standards, government oversight of processing establishments, laboratory capability, and residue control.
Country eligibility is therefore functioning as a food safety control rather than a trade formality. When product arrives from a country that has not been found equivalent, the inspection verification the rule is designed to guarantee did not happen, and there is no U.S. record to fall back on.
The FSIS recalls page lists this action alongside a separate same-day recall of Argentine beef that bypassed import reinspection. Two import compliance recalls in one day is a signal that surveillance caught what it is designed to catch.
Swai, sometimes sold as basa or pangasius, is farmed at scale and imported in large volumes, which is part of why the species sits inside the stricter USDA framework.
Households in Eight Midwestern States
Distribution covered retail locations across the Midwest. FSIS has not published a retail distribution list for this action, so shoppers need to check the packaging rather than a store list.
The Al Kabeer brand is a frozen halal food line commonly stocked in South Asian, Middle Eastern, and halal grocery stores, and breaded fish sticks and fillets are frequently bought as a convenience food for children. Families who shop those aisles are the households most likely to have the product, and the ones least likely to have seen a mainstream recall notice.
FSIS said it is concerned that some product may be in consumers' refrigerators and freezers. Consumers who purchased the items are urged not to consume them and should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
Because no contamination has been identified, there is no defined illness to watch for and no exposure window to monitor. That distinction is worth stating plainly, because a recall with an identified pathogen calls for symptom monitoring, and this one does not.
Practical Steps for Freezer Checks
Look for the Al Kabeer brand name on 13.75-ounce, 10.58-ounce, or 330-gram boxes of breaded swai fillets or sticks with use-before dates in June 2027. The absence of a USDA mark of inspection on the package is consistent with this action.
If the box has been discarded and only loose breaded fish remains in a freezer bag, there is no reliable way to verify origin, and discarding is the simpler course. If a retailer repackaged product, ask the store directly whether it carried the recalled items.
Cooking is not the recommended response. Heat addresses microbial hazards, and the compliance gap here involves inspection verification that cooking does not substitute for it.
Anyone who ate the product and feels unwell should contact a health care provider and mention the exposure so it can be documented, even though no illnesses have been linked. Consumers with food safety questions can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-674-6854, and problems with meat, poultry, or egg products can be reported through the agency's online complaint system.
FSIS conducts recall effectiveness checks to confirm that recalling firms notify customers and that product is removed from commerce, and it posts retail distribution lists when available. MedicalDaily will report if the recall expands to additional products or states.
For most households, the resolution takes two minutes. Check the freezer, look for the brand and the missing inspection mark, and discard or return anything that matches.
Key Questions Answered
What was recalled? About 5,084 pounds of Al Kabeer frozen breaded swai fillet and stick products, produced in December 2025 with use-before dates in June 2027.
Why does the country of production matter? Catfish and related species are inspected by USDA rather than FDA, and only countries whose inspection systems have been found equivalent to the U.S. system may export them. The UAE is not eligible.
Was anything found wrong with the fish? No contamination has been identified and no illnesses have been reported. The recall reflects a compliance failure in how the product entered the country.
Where was it sold? Retail locations in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
How do I identify the product? Look for the Al Kabeer brand on 13.75-ounce, 10.58-ounce, or 330-gram boxes. The products carry no establishment number and no USDA mark of inspection.
Can I cook it thoroughly instead of discarding it? That is not the guidance. FSIS advises throwing the product away or returning it to the place of purchase.
Should I watch for symptoms if my family ate it? No specific illness has been linked to these products. Anyone who feels unwell should contact a health care provider and mention the exposure.
