These are the proceedings of the Fifth World Fish Inspection and Quality Control Congress held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 20 to 22 October 2003. The first international conference was held in Halifax, Canada, in 1969 and was the brainchild of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), co-organized by FAO and the Canadian Government. A second conference, also organized by FAO, and supported by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), was held twenty-seven years later in Washington DC, United States of America in 1996. It was recognized that there was a need for more frequent meetings in order to share best practices and provide networking opportunities for fish inspectors from around the world.
During the third conference, held in Halifax, Canada, in 1999, the International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI) was formally constituted. IAFI is a non-profit organization, incorporated under Canadian law which, since its inauguration, has the main responsibility of organizing these conferences in collaboration with FAO. Since 1999, the conference (now a Congress) takes place biannually, with the fourth held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2001 and this, the fifth, held in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2003.
The increased number of these meetings since 1996 reflects the growing importance of fish safety and quality in national and international fish trade, with the introduction of HACCP-based regulations, the use of new concepts and techniques such as risk analysis, traceability and the identification of new hazards, i.e. veterinary drugs in aquaculture fish.
The Fifth Congress was attended by 165 participants - including 42 speakers and resource specialists - from 47 countries. Seventy-one participants came from 27 developing countries: Angola (3), Argentina (1), Brazil (2), Brunei (2), Chile (1), China (1), Cuba (1), Ecuador (2), Eritrea (1), Ethiopia (1), Ghana (6), India (3), Indonesia (11), Kenya (3), Malaysia (2), Mauritania (1), Mozambique (2), Nigeria (7), Oman (1), Peru (1), the Philippines (1), Senegal (2), South Africa (3), the United Republic of Tanzania (2), Thailand (3), Uganda (2) and Viet Nam (6). FAO and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) combined resources to sponsor some 30 participants from developing countries to partake in the Congress.
The main sessions were:
Evolving Inspection Regimes (Plenary)
Causes of Detentions & Rejections in International Trade (Plenary)
Aquaculture (Concurrent Workshop A)
Technological Developments in Processing and Products (Concurrent Workshop B)
Focus on the European Union (Plenary)
HACCP Evaluation and Risk Assessment (Concurrent Workshop A)
Trade and the Environment (Concurrent Workshop A)
Food Safety and Inspection Issues (Plenary)
FAO/UNIDO Symposium - Issues and Challenges for Developing and Emerging Technologies
Roundtable Discussion: Harmonization Initiatives in Fish Inspection and Quality Control
The Congress was held in conjunction with IAFI's annual meeting (23 October) and workshops on nitrofurans, European Union regulations and traceability (19 October).
CONCLUSIONS
Ten key points were identified as the main issues raised and discussed during the Congress:
1. There is a strong appeal from fish exporters that the main importers harmonize their sanitary requirements. Even if HACCP plans are now mandatory among the major importers, there are still no equivalence agreements in place amid the biggest.
2. There is a general call for more holistic approaches to food production, not only focusing purely on food safety aspects but also taking nutritional aspects into consideration, e.g. regarding obesity as a food (safety) hazard. Processing in the name of food safety can only lead to the destruction of essential nutrients. As all foods have positive and negative attributes, the question was raised whether it is time for new approaches to labelling are needed in order to communicate these aspects to consumers.
3. Industry is faced with increasing demands from governments and customers, not only in terms of safety, quality and nutrition, but also increasingly with respect to environmental issues. Therefore, holistic - and yet economical - management systems such as "seafood integrated management systems" need to be set up to record and offer proof that processes are controlled from all aspects, including environmental.
4. The general public seems to have low confidence that the fish/food industry and relevant authorities are dealing properly with food safety, as well as environmental issues. The non-governmental organization community has successfully captured the "hearts and minds" of the public in this respect and thus benefits from greater trust. There is a strong need for more effective communication on these issues to consumers by both the industry and authorities.
5. There is a need for better indicators on how well food safety systems perform. Such indicators could include a time series of inspection and analytical data from randomly-sampled products. Large amounts of such data are already available in government agencies and private companies which could be used to validate system performance. Of course, the issue of confidentiality related to such data would need to be addressed.
6. Potential food hazards do not necessarily mean relevant hazards. Many new potential food hazards have been identified. This is partly linked with fast developments in detection technology for chemicals and micro-organisms. Such developments are making the need to move away from "zero tolerance" policies in importing countries even more urgent.
7. The "risk analysis approach" with regard to food-borne toxins or disease-causing micro-organisms, ensured by the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is progressing well. Risk assessments are giving new insights into how to minimize food-borne risks. There is a need for improved communication of these concepts to the public with the message that modern food production systems can deliver safe foods but not without any risk.
8. Building trust between industries and the public has become a major issue, resulting increasingly in certifications such as the ISO, HACCP, the Marine Stewardship Council and with "Social and Economic Reports" from companies. Food safety is but one - albeit a very important factor - in this picture. There is a need to see how these "trust" systems can be implemented economically.
9. New food safety approaches have moved away from "lot inspection and certification" towards certifying that the system is working as intended. Yet for many exporting countries most of the resources available for food safety management are still spent on end-product sampling and chemical and microbiological analysis. This is slowing down the implementation of the preventive approach.
10. Producers need to verify that the preventative HACCP systems are working by providing reliable data that show how the process complies with achievable performance standards for the method under consideration.
THE CONGRESS
Plenary and Concurrent Sessions
- Evolving Inspection Regimes
- Causes of Detentions & Rejections in International Trade
- Aquaculture
- Technological Developments in Processing and Products
- Focus on the European Union
- HACCP Evaluation and Risk Assessment
- Trade and the Environment
- Food Safety & Inspection Issues
- UNIDO/FAO Symposium
Held in conjunction with the International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI) annual meeting (October 23) and Workshops on Nitrofurans, EU Regulations, & Traceability (October 19).
Co-Sponsors
- International Association of Fish Inspectors (IAFI)
- Dutch Food & Non-Food Authority (VWA)
- UN Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO)
- UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
An Opportunity to:
learn from prominent key note speakers
participate in inter-active sessions
earn about the latest technology & central methodologies
PROGRAMME
Monday, 20 October
|
Official Opening |
- Ir. J.F. de Leeuw, Dutch Food & Non-Food Authority, The Netherlands. |
|
|
- Sirilak Suwanrangsi, President, IAFI |
Morning Plenaries:
Evolving Inspection Regimes
Grimur Valdimarsson, FAO, Rome
Michael Scannel, DG SANCO, European Union
Phil Spiller, FDA, USA
Naoki Takatori, Japan Fisheries Association, Japan
Causes of Detentions & Rejections in International Trade
Lahsen Ababouch, FAO, Rome
Afternoon Concurrent Workshops
Aquaculture
Food Safety Controls from Farm to Fork, Sirilak Suwanrangsi, Thailand
Potential Hazards - Hector Lupin, FAO, Rome
Good Aquaculture Practices - Bret Koontz, FDA, USA
Genetically Modified Fish - Devin Bartley, FAO, Rome
On-Farm Food Safety Programs - David Rideout, CAIA, Canada
The Contaminant Issue-Past, Present and Future - Charles R. Santerre, Purdue University, USA
Technological Developments in Processing and Products
Development of Quality Indices for Seafood from Catch to Consumer, Joop Luten, RIVO, The Netherlands
Quality Effects of Double Freezing, Reinhard Schrubring, Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, Germany
Vocational Excellence in Seafood Processing, Michael Dillon, Mike Dillon Assoc., UK
The Intellectron Fischtester VI, Jörg Oehlenschläger, WEFTA, Germany
Fishport, Roland Cormier, FAO, Rome
Exchanging Inspection Data, TBD1
Tuesday, October 21
Morning Plenary
Focus on the European Union
Imports of Fish Products in the EU. Recent Safeguard Measures, Christina Laso Sanz, European Union
The EU Rapid Alert System, Dick Groothuis, VWA, The Netherlands
Recent Developments in European Union Food Safety & Regulations, Anneke Toorop, European Union
Sourcing ShellFish Products for the EU, Mark Nijhof, Heiploeg, The Netherlands
Chloramphenicol, Food Safety, & Precautionary Thinking in Europe, T.C. Hanekamp, The Netherlands
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
HACCP Evaluation and Risk Assessment
Evaluation of HACCP Systems, Tim Hansen, FDA, USA
Performance Measurement in HACCP, Alf Bungay, CFIA, Canada
HACCP, Risk Assessment & International Trade, Lahsen Ababouch, FAO, Rome
FAO/WHO Risk Assessment of Vibrio Species in Seafood, Dr. Karunasagor, India
Contribution of Consumption of Raw Shellfish to Viral Enteritis, Marion Koopman, RIVM, The Netherlands
Hygiene Controls for Bivalve Molluscs: Are They Effective & Can They Be Improved, David Lees, UK.
Trade and the Environment
DOHA Round Update, Mark Sinclair, New Zealand Embassy, Geneva
International Ecolabelling Standard & Post Harvest Code, TBD1, FAO, Rome
Integrating Food Safety & Environment Management Systems, Ted Loveday, SSA, Australia
Costs & Benefits of Sustainable Seafood Sourcing, Dierk Peters, Unilever, The Netherlands
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Experience, Kees Lankester, MSC, The Netherlands
Wednesday, October 22
Morning Plenary Session
Food Safety & Inspection Issues
Biosecurity, Don Kraemer, FDA, USA
Developments in Phycotoxin Detection, Hans van Egmond, RIVM, The Netherlands
Latest Developments in Algal Blooms, Louis Peperzak, VWA, The Netherlands
Achieving Food Safety Outcomes on Fishing Vessels, Jayne Gallagher, SSA, Australia
Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Fish and Aquaculture Products, Hans van Rhijn, RIKILT, The Netherlands
Afternoon Plenary
UNIDO/FAO Symposium on Issues and Challenges for Developing and Emerging Economics, Moderators: Ahmidou Ouaouich, UNIDO, Geneva; Lahsen Ababouch, FAO, Rome; various presenters
Roundtable Discussion: Harmonization Initiatives in Fish Inspection and Quality Control, Moderator, Hector Lupin, FAO, Rome
Congress Summary
|
Lahsen Ababouch |
Fisheries Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy |
Phone: +39 06 5705 4157 |
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Devin Bartley |
Fisheries Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy |
Phone: +39 06 5705 4376 |
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Alfred Bungay |
Fish Seafood Production Division, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 159 Cleopatra Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9, Canada |
Phone: +1 613 221 7026 |
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Kate Conway |
Youngs Bluecrest, Humberstone Road, Grimsby, NE Lincolnshire, DN32 8HP, UK |
Phone: +44 1472 242242 |
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Michael Dillon |
Grimsby College, Nuns Corner, Grimsby, NE Lincolnshire, DN34 5BQ, UK |
Phone: +44 1472 315588 |
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Carlos Lima dos Santos |
Rua Cel. Eurico de Sousa Gomes Filho No. 510/cob, Barra da Tijuca 22620-320 Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil |
Phone: +55 2124910704 |
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G. Frapporti |
Juniper Cottage, 90 High Street, Barkway, Hertfordshire, SG8 8EF, UK |
Phone: +44 1707 632425 |
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Gabriel Gandini |
Ministero della Sanità, Ufficio Veterinario Adempimenti CEE, Piazza Martiri 5, 40122 Bologna, Italy |
Phone: +39 51 240048 |
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Rick Grant |
Fish Seafood Production Division, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 159 Cleopatra Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9, Canada |
Phone: +1 613 221 7144 |
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J.C. Hanekamp |
CEO HAN, Runderweide 2, 2727 HV Zoetermeer, Netherlands |
Phone: +31 793 460 304 |
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Timothy Hansen |
Office of Seafood, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835, USA |
Phone: +1 301 4361405 |
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Shelley Ippolito |
Corporate Audit and Performance Measurement, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 59 Camelot Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9, Canada |
Phone: +1 613 225 2342 |
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I. Karunasagar |
Department of Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, College of Fisheries, Mangalore 575 002, India |
Phone: +91 824 2246384, 2243180 |
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Indrani Karunasagar |
UNESCO MIRCEN for Marine Biotechnology, Department of Microbiology, University of Agricultural Sciences, College of Fisheries, Mangalore 575 002, India |
Phone: +91 824 2246384, 2243180 |
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Robin Keates |
Humber Institute of Food & Fisheries, Westside
Road |
Phone: +44 1472 500220 |
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Brett Koonse |
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740- 3835, USA |
Phone: +1 301 436 1415 |
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Don Kraemer |
Office of Seafood, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835, USA |
Phone: +1 301 4362300 |
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Hector Lupin |
Fisheries Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy |
Phone: +39 06 5705 6459 |
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Vance McEachern |
Coastal Region British Columbia, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 400- 4321 Still Creek Drive Burnaby, B.C., V5C 6S7, Canada |
Phone: +1 604 666 3337 |
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K. Olieman |
NIZO Food Research, PO Box 20, 6710 BA Ede, The Netherlands |
Phone: +31 318 659 511 |
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Jörg Oehlenschläger |
Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, Institute for Fishery Technology and Fish Quality, Palmaille 9 D-22767 Hamburg, Germany |
Phone: + 49 40 3890 5151 |
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Dierk Peters |
Unilever/Langnese-Iglo GmbH, Dammtorwall 15, 20355 Hamburg, Germany |
Phone: +49 40 35 97 2370 |
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David Rideout |
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, 907-75 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5E7, Canada |
Phone: +1 613 239-0612 |
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John Ryder |
Teddington Manor, Teddington, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 8JA, UK |
Phone: +44 1242 620308 |
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Philip Spiller |
Office of Seafood, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Parkway, College Park, MD 20740-3835, USA |
Phone: +1 301 4362300 |
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S. Subasinghe |
INFOFISH, 1st Floor, Wisma PKNS, Jalan Raja Laut, PO Box 10899, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
Phone: +60 3 2691 4466 |
|
Wanwipa Suwannarak |
Fish Inspection and Quality Control Division, Department of Fisheries, Kasetklang, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand |
Phone: +66 2 558 0150 - 5 ext 13403 |
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Naoki Takatori |
Quality Division, Japan Fisheries Association, Akasaka 1-9-13, Minato- Ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan |
Phone: +81 3 3585 6985 |
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Grimur Valdimarsson |
Fisheries Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy |
Phone: +39 06 5705 6510 |
Martin Wolfs
Director
Inspectorate for
Health Protection and Veterinary Public Health
(KvW)
Netherlands
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour for me to welcome you in The Hague for the Fifth World Fish Inspection and Quality Control Congress. You will be our guests and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy your stay and have a fruitful congress.
This congress centre is located near the sea. The village Scheveningen nearby used to be a fishing village and seaside resort in the first half of the twentieth century. At present tourism is the major industry although fishing is still active as is demonstrated by the presence of a fish auction. Some of you might have the opportunity to see that on an evening walk. It is located just north of the harbour entrance.
The Netherlands is located at the shore of a shallow sea, the North Sea, which is rich in fish and particularly herring. As many countries located at a sea it has a rich history of fishing and fish processing.
As early as in 1125 the conservation of herring by salting was mentioned in manuscripts. Later the process of degutting followed by salting was reinvented and ascribed to Willem Beukelszoon (died in 1347) a member of the council of the city of Biervliet in the southwest of the Netherlands. It is from this process the famous Dutch "matjes", nowadays a delicacy, originated. The process has changed very much. The notified cases of Anisakis (herringworm) infections in man peaked at 46 cases a year in in the 1960s. After freezing was made mandatory, no cases were detected. Public health was the driving force to make deep freezing obligatory. The processing industry adapted and after serious objections as to change in taste, they changed their processes and used freezing for preservation purposes providing a product that is of a constant quality with less salt than strictly needed for preservation.
It is just to show you that measures to protect Public Health can also be commercially advantageous for the industry. In this case a risk known to the public was eliminated and good quality herring could be offered the whole year around.
Now I would like to draw your attention to the organisation of food and feed inspection in the Netherlands.
Food safety is on top of the European agenda. Many of you have experienced this EU attitude. I will just mention the testing for residues of chloramphenicol and nitrofurans. This subject was extensively dealt with in yesterday's workshop, and it certainly will be a point of much discussion during this congress.
In a changing world, the inspection services have to adapt. With serious problems in Europe such as classical Swine fever and Foot and Mouth Disease, the contamination of fodder with Dioxins and PCBs, contamination of feed for pigs with MPA (Medroxy Progesterone-Acetate), the EU is very much focussed on the safety of food laying emphasis on prevention. In EU legislation HACCP is the key methodology to achieve that. As a consequence the inspection and control have to adapt.
The Inspection Services in the Netherlands originally were focused on final products. Over the last years it developed from inspecting production circumstances via production processes to the nowadays inspection of production chains and analysing the specific risks associated with the products and processes. Inspections, therefore, will focus on the quality control systems of the producer, thereby emphasising the primary responsibility of the producer for his/her products.
Especially the inspection of chains requires an organisation which can overlook that chain. For that purpose the Netherlands has merged the two Inspection Services, RVV and KvW, into one Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA).
Risk Analysis is the key in Good Inspection Practice. It makes the core business of the VWA, enabling the VWA to act on items which poses most threat to Public Health. This will make the operations efficient and effective to protect the consumer's health.
I am sure that risk analysis and production chains will be topics of the program as can be deduced from the title of this congress.
The Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority is an independent agency in the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and will be also an enforcement and delivery agency for the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS).
The Authority is responsible for the inspection and supervision of food, non-food, animal health and animal welfare. The VWA consists of a central coordinating unit and two delivery units: the Inspectorate for Health Protection and Veterinary Public Health (KvW) and the National Inspection Service for Livestock and Meat (RVV). The KvW was part of the Ministry of VWS while the RVV was part of the Ministry of LNV.
Creation of the VWA means that there is now a single independent Authority responsible for protecting the safety of food and consumer products at all stages of the production chain. To this end, the VWA ensures that legislation and regulations are complied with and that potential threats to safety are addressed.
The RVV supervises:
Production chains and processes
Compliance with regulation governing hygiene and design and layout
Compliance with regulation governing animal welfare
Business inspection
Inspection before and during slaughter
Topics of the KvW.
Non-food Product Safety
Play equipment, amusement equipment, electrical products, hobby and sports equipment, personal protection products, portable climbing equipment, household products, construction materials, tools, machinery, gas appliances, fireworks, children's products, toys.
Composite Food Products
Cooked products, ready-to-eat foods, special diet food, health products, new foodstuffs, breads and pastry, cooking oils and fats, cocoa and chocolate, beverages, sweeteners, coffee, tea, jam, canned vegetables and fruits, pasta, soup, stimulants, Beverage and Catering Act, Tobacco Act.
Primary Agricultural and Horticultural Products
Fruits and vegetables, potatoes, herbs, seasonings, nuts, grains, seeds, algae and seaweed, pesticide residues.
Veterinary Products
Meat and meat products, game and poultry, eggs and egg products, fish and fish products, crustacean and shellfish, dairy, veterinary medicine, feed, rendering, veterinary environmental hygiene, irradiated foodstuffs, zoonoses, animal experiments.
Non-food Chemistry
Household chemicals, detergents and cleaning products, cosmetics, textiles, packaging materials, non-agricultural pesticides, disinfectants, labelling of dangerous substances and preparations, childproof fasteners
The present attitude of openness and transparency of production and trade, as required by the present EU legislation, is also applicable for the inspection services. The VWA therefore has a department for information and communication. The WVA wants to make clear what the objectives of their activities are, what they are doing and what results have been obtained.
An important tool in nowadays operations is information and communication technology ICT. Up-to-date and reliable communication systems are a prerequisite for efficient and alert operations. However, ICT cannot replace the contacts between people. This congress gives you the opportunity to meet each other and exchange ideas and opinions in discussions and during the unofficial hours. Furthermore, personnel contacts are essential for future inspection and control activities in the production chains. Food trade is a worldwide business, making the controls by national inspectorates difficult. Congresses like these help the control from origin to consumer. It helps to ensure safe food trade thereby making an essential contribution to public health and fair trade. The latter being interpreted as consumer protection (value for money).
Having said this I wish you all fruitful discussions and a successful congress.
