By Giulia Loi

Food safety plays a vital role in food loss and waste (FLW) reduction throughout large and small-scale fisheries and aquaculture value chains. Essential first steps towards addressing FLW-related issues are identifying where in the food system it occurs, analysing the causes and developing effective interventions across the full value chain. Food loss and waste not only means a decrease in the quantity of aquatic products from catch and harvest, but also the decrease of its quality, i.e. reduced nutritional values. This reduction, in addition to potentially leading to safety issues for consumers, can also have an impact on their economic value.

Impeding and preventing fish from becoming unhealthy and unsafe is a crucial objective for consumer protection. Safeguarding food safety is a form of protection both for the health of final consumers and for countries’ economy. Many aquatic products are rejected at borders because they are considered unfit for human consumption which has an impact on food loss and economic loss as many products are destroyed. For instance, in the United States of America, 8,128 cases of import notifications were reported between 2016 and 2021, 4,264 of which were due to fish products being unfit for human consumption, representing 52% of the total of import notifications in the country during that timeframe. In the European Union, 77 cases of import notifications due to fish products being unfit for human consumption were reported, representing 4.6% of the total of import notifications. A reduction in the number of rejections would have significant positive economic and logistical implications for importing and exporting countries.

Problems linking food loss and food safety are found throughout the value chain. Starting with harvesting, for example, a commonly used practice to avoid parasitic infestation of Anisakis is to throw the viscera of the fish into the sea after a timely evisceration of the fish. However, this practice is not as safe as it is thought, since it does not interrupt the biological cycle of the parasite and they become available to infect other aquatic animals. Other practices that adversely affect the health quality of fish are delays in removing the fish from fishing gear, which can lead to fish spoilage and physical damage causing bacterial contamination by psychrophilic and psychotropic bacteria such as Enterobacteria, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. As storage time increases, levels of histamine for scombroid species increases as well. All these aspects lead to high numbers of import notifications due to the presence of histamine above maximum levels. In the European Union, a total of 91 cases of import notifications due to the presence of histamine above maximum levels were reported between 2016 and 2021, representing 5.4% of the total of import notifications. A higher number of cases of import notification due to the presence of histamine above maximum levels was recorded in the United States of America (206 cases), representing the 2.5% of the total.  Also, during the storage stage, bacterial contamination can occur, especially in freezer vessels if the product is not quickly frozen at low temperatures.

The processing phase is also a delicate stage due to the multiple manipulations to which the product is subjected and the risk of both fish loss and food safety issues due to bacterial contamination or insect infestation. Similar issues can take place during transportation of the product, especially during long-distance travels; in fact, if the product is not kept at the correct temperature, there may be a risk of formation of histamine and other biogenic amines. Fish should be frozen in a freezer at 0°C or less.

Food safety in fish loss is also a key concern to be addressed in aquaculture value chains. The main problems are essentially related to incorrect use or abuse of antibiotics and the presence of contaminants and pesticides in the water and mishandling of the fish products with consequent bacterial contamination. Incorrect farming practices and misuse of antibiotics can lead to substantial economic losses especially when exporting countries use non-regulated or banned antibiotics. For example, in the United States of America, 869 cases of import notifications due to the presence of antibiotics (excess level of antibiotics or use of banned antibiotics) were reported from 2016 to 2021, representing 10.7% of the total of import notifications. In the European Union and in Japan, the cases of import notifications due to the presence of antibiotics were 103 (6%) and 122 (17.4%) respectively.

To avoid and prevent issues related to food safety and fish loss, it is essential to recognize the cause and evaluate the measures to be implemented at all stages of the fisheries and aquaculture value chains. In order to achieve this, training should be provided to ensure that relevant authorities and value chain actors in developing countries fully understand international food safety standards and requirements. Furthermore, a fundamental factor is the knowledge on import requirements and the analysis of the most frequent causes of detentions and rejections at borders. Border rejections and detentions have economical, logistical and administrative consequences, as well as multiple benefits for consumers and importers. Equally important is the need to harmonize science-based health requirements and follow the guidelines and the international standards dictated by the Codex Alimentarius, all this with the aim of ensuring that safe aquatic products reach the market and that fish loss and waste is reduced globally.

You can find further information at the following links:

Codex Alimentarius website: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/home/en/

Globefish website, data on import notifications: https://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/import-notifications/en/

Globefish website, Food Safety Regulation for Fishery and Aquaculture Products: https://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/countries/food-safety-regulation-for-fishery-and-aquaculture-products/en/

https://www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/countries/food-safety-regulation-for-fishery-and-aquaculture-products/en/