If you’re eating a delicious fish for dinner, there is a high likelihood that it was produced via aquaculture, which is essentially fish farming. It is the act of breeding, raising, and harvesting animals and plants in aquatic environments for food [1]. It is an excellent way to source protein, and more than half of the seafood globally was from aquaculture rather than wild-caught [1]. But what about the safety of this seafood? How do we ensure that the drugs used to keep the fish healthy in captivity aren’t having a negative effect on our health after we enjoy them in a meal? How do we ensure that the sushi we’re eating doesn’t have toxic bacteria?
FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) ensures that the medicine the fish receive does not negatively impact humans while FDA handles food safety, shipping requirements, controlling pathogens such as Clostridium botulinum, record-keeping, product hazards, sanitation, and more.
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is one key regulation that seafood importers must adhere to. It requires seafood industry businesses to create plans to deal with any foreseeable food safety hazards [2]. If your business is struggling to create a HACCP compliant hazard mitigation plan, EMMA International can help you. These plans focus on prevention to assess areas where contamination could occur and establish control measures to mitigate risk. The FDA creates a reliable framework to protect public health, supporting the sustainable growth of aquaculture, and helps us enjoy a safe, healthy, high-quality fish dinner.
EMMA International is here to provide full-circle solutions. Give us a call at 248-987-4497 or email us at info@emmainternational.com to learn more about how EMMA International can take the stress out of your quality and regulatory compliance!
[1] NOAA (2024) Aquaculture, Retrieved on 12 November 2024 from: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/aquaculture
[2] FDA (2024) Guidance for Industry: Seafood HACCP and the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, Retrieved on 12 November 2024 from: https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-seafood-haccp-and-fda-food-safety-modernization-act
