Food safety is receiving more attention than ever before, accompanied by broad public debate on how best to a secure safe and wholesome food supply. The fish industry has been in the forefront of implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)-based food quality and safety regulations and programmes since the late 1980s, long before other food sectors. Food production from fishery resources constitutes a very complicated scenario, not only due to the number of different species harvested or grown, but to the vast number of different food poisoning agents that can be carried with fishery products. Some 37 percent of all fish products are traded across national borders for human consumption which makes them the most international of all food products.
As previously recognized, there is a need to enhance the availability and harmonization of scientific information related to safety and quality of fishery products. Information from various disciplines, such as chemistry, microbiology and toxicology, must be pooled to support hazard analysis, risk assessments and epidemiological studies. Such collated information would become a valuable tool for industry and government agencies involved in improving fish inspection and quality control processing.
Even if new and interesting approaches are being discussed and promoted, such as the development of food safety objectives, it is necessary to further elaborate on the use of the existing tools - particularly HACCP - and how their performance can be measured. With increasing demands and higher standards facing the food industry, there is a growing need for special programmes to help developing countries implement the new international instruments.
The outcome from the Fifth World Fish Inspection and Quality Control Congress underlines the importance of trade liberalization. The ten issues identified and discussed point to a strong commitment by the international community to harmonize food control systems to facilitate global trade and to assist member countries in developing national capacity to deal with the fast changing framework in this area.
Ryder, J.; Ababouch, L. (eds.)
Fifth World Fish
Inspection and Quality Control Congress. The Hague, Netherlands, 20-22 October
2003.
FAO Fisheries Proceedings. No. 1. Rome, FAO. 2005.
162p.
