feed for fish and fish as food
Seafood safety
Internationally and nationally there is an increasing focus on food safety and the need to develop a code of practice to minimise undesirable substances from both fish feed and seafood. Regulatory amendments can only be implemented on the basis of sound scientific knowledge of undesirable substances in seafood and their effects. Different undesirable components have different properties, and the problems associated with environmental toxicants and additives in fish feed and feed raw materials are therefore an important area of research. Some of the undesirables found in feed can be transferred to fish and thus affect seafood safety. An understanding of the way these substances are transferred from feed to fillets is part of the scientifically based risk assessments conducted by risk assessment bodies such as the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety (VKM) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). These risk assessments form the basis of the EU’s maximum permitted limits related to food safety that are set by the European Commission. An understanding of these undesirable substances is important to enable the authorities to provide consumers with dietary advice on fish consumption.
Contact:Staff - Seafood Safety Research Programme
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The global consumption of seafood is increasing,
and in order to ensure the safe production of seafood for the
consumer we need to increase our understanding of the interaction
of nutrients and potential undesirable substances along the whole
seafood production chain. An understanding of the combined effects
of these substances is a new and important area of research at the
National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) and is
an integral part of the EU project AQUAMAX co-ordinated by NIFES.
The programme uses both mammal and fish models to identify the
effect of undesirable substances.