The safety and quality of water used (or reused) in fisheries

Water used in food production and processing must be of sufficient quality that it does not make the food unsafe. This begins in primary production and continues during food processing through to consumption. Water can be unfit for its intended purpose if it is contaminated with chemical or microbiological hazards that enter the food supply. This can occur directly, when water contacts food, but also indirectly, when unfit water contaminates food contact surfaces.

Water is a diminishing resource globally and not all food producers and processors have access to sufficient fresh potable water and the cost of access to water may be high. However, not all applications require potable water, it simply needs to be fit for its intended use. If determined to be fit-for-purpose, water can be safely reused in food production, reducing demand and decreasing waste.

In its most recent publication on the topic of water, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA)  provides risk-based guidance to determine when water is fit for purpose for fish and fishery products, from primary production to retail. The report includes several case studies that describe water use and reuse scenarios. The benefits and pitfalls of water quality monitoring and the use of non-culture based microbiological methods (immunoassays and nucleic acid) to assess water quality are also described.

“Determining when water is fit for purpose can be confusing,” said Jeffrey LeJeune, FAO Food Safety Officer, explaining that this document sheds light on ways to optimize water use while maintaining the safety of fishery products.

Critical research gaps and policy needs to further enhance the safe use and reuse of water in fishery products are noted.

Download Safety and quality of water used in the production and processing of fish and fishery products

This report is the fourth is recent set of JEMRA work on fit-for-purpose water.

See also: reports on water use and reuse in dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables and food production and processing.

Photo: © FAO/Harsha Vadlamani