Legislation
Table 1 Regulations in fish, crustaceans and shellfish derived from the Status of food-safety (Dutch Food Safety Authority)
| Regulation | Description |
|---|---|
| (EC) No 178/2002 | General principles and requirements of food law establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety |
| (EC) No 853/2004 | Hygiene in the production of products of animal origin |
| (EC) No 2073/2005 | Microbiological criteria for food |
| (EC) No 854/2004 | Official controls on food from animal products |
| (EC) No 1881/2006 | Determining maximum levels of certain pollutants |
Microbiology
Table 2 Common microbiological hazards
| Pathogens | GR | O2 | T (1) | pH | Min. Aw | Inc, Time | Duration | DR | VV / VI | Symptoms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aeromonas | – | fa | 5-40 | 5-9 | 0.97 | 8-48 hours | 2 -7 days | 100 000 000 | VI | Abdominal pain, (watery) diarrhoea |
| Bacillus Cereus | + | Ae/fa | 10-4.8 | 4.9-9.3 | 0.91 | 0.5-6 hours | 6- 24 hours | > 10 | VI/VV | Similar to S. aureus |
| Campylobacter Jejuni | – | m.aer. | 30-45 | 6-8 | 0.98 * | 2-10 days (Usually 2) | days to weeks | 100-500 | VI | Fever, stomach ache, bloody diarrhoea |
| Vibrio cholerae | – | fa | 10-45 | 5-9 | 0.96 | few hours to 5 days | few days | > 1000 | VI | Water-thin, thin diarrhoea, possibly. fever (a lot of fluid loss) |
| Vibrio parahaemolyticus | – | fa | 5-45 | 5-11 | 0.92 | 4 – 96 hours | 2-5 days | > 100 000 | VI | Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, stomach pain |
| Listeria monocytogenes | + | fa | 0-45 | 4.5-9 | 0.9 | 2 days to 4 weeks | unknown | > 1 000> 1 000 000 | VI | Fever, septicemia, meningitis, miscarriage |
| E. coli O157 | – | fa | 5-50 | 4-9 | 0.96 | 3-4 days | 2 – 5 days | 10-100 | VI | Bloody diarrhoea, risk of HUS |
| Salmonella Enteritis and others | – | fa | 5-50 | 4-9 | 0.94 | 8 – 72 hours | 1 – 3 days | > 100 000 (sometimes 10) | VI | Diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, stomach pain |
Table 3 Viruses, rickettsia in fish, crustaceans and shellfish products, derived from Hazard table Viruses, rickettsia, prions
| Virus, Rickettsia | Origin | Food | MID | Disease | Preventive Measures | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis A | Human | All foods directly contaminated by humans or food contaminated by faecal contaminated water → especially shellfish. | Some virus particles | Infectious jaundice. Incubation period: 2 to 6 weeks. | o Hygiene staff o Do not allow infected persons to process raw food o Heating: a few minutes at 85-90 ° C o Sensitive groups should not consume raw shellfish | Resistant to chlorination. Due to the low incubation period it is difficult to establish a link to food |
| Viral gastro-enteritis (buikgriep met diarree, buikpijn, overgeven) virussen (Adenovirus, Astro-virus, Calicivirus, Coronavirus, Nor-walkvirus, Rotavirus) | Human | All foodproducts direct or via aerosols of vomit from contaminated humans or through faecal contaminated water → mainly shellfish | Several virus particles | Gastro-enteritis. Incubation time: 12-50 hours; infants and small children are extra sensitive for viruses. | o Hygiene personnel o contaminated individuals are not allowed to handle raw food products. o Heating: several minutes at 85-90 ° C o Sensitive groups should prevent consumption of raw shellfish. | Norwalkvirus is the most common in older children and adults. Rotavirus could be fatal for young children and infants. 30% of gastro-enteritis is by the virus caused (not necessary through food!). |
| Norwalk-like Viruses (belongs to the family of Calici viruses | Foods that are not heated before consumption, shellfish and crops vegetables and fruit | 10-100 (very low) | o Infection causes explosive diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and fever. o Vomiting mainly occurs in children. o Incubation time: 24-48 hours. \ \ o Duration of clinical picture: 2 days. o Medication is not available but also not necessary. o All consumers are susceptible to infection. o Groups with reduced immunity (YOPIs) are at extra risk. o Infected people remain approx. 3 days after the end of symptoms contagious. | O Do not use possibly faecally contaminated water in the production of fresh food. o Heating for one and a half minutes at 90 ° C inactivates viruses. o Improving hygiene in the entire food chain. \ \ o Employees who must (possibly) be infected temporarily perform other work, even a few days after the symptoms have disappeared. Curbing the spread of virus in those areas where infected shellfish are farmed. o Development of microbiological quality criteria for viruses. | o NLV viruses are highly contagious. There are no toxins. o These types of viruses can cause an epedemic, especially in institutions where many people live close to each other. o NLVs can survive well if a product is not heated. o There are no regulations for reducing viral foodborne infections. o Viruses need bacteria to multiply. |
Chemistry
Table 4 possible chemical hazards
| Substance | Food | Legal | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| dioxins: polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans PCDFs, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD) | meat (through feed) and poultry meat, fish (in particular certain fatty fish such as herring and salmon) and vegetables, oils and fats, dairy and eggs | max. content 684/2004, EC regulation no. 2375/2001 | formed from chlorine-containing compounds during heating under oxygen-poor conditions. Carcinogenic to humans and animals above a certain threshold level |
| PCBs (the collective name for a group of 209 chemically prepared synthetic substances that do not occur naturally | meat (via feed) and poultry meat, fish (especially certain fatty fish such as herring and salmon) and vegetables, oils and fats, dairy and eggs | max content 684/2004, EC regulation no. 2375/2001 | carcinogenic to humans and animals. Furthermore: skin disorders, disorders of the reproductive system and liver diseases. PCBs burn above 1200 ° C, dissolve poorly in water and are used as a plasticizer in art dust, paint, ink, varnish and glue and in insecticides |
| polybrominated diphenyl ethers | via water in fish |
Biotoxins
Table 5 possible biotoxins in fish, shellfish and crustaceans.
| Name of poisoning | Origin | Food | Toxic dose (ug) | Disease | Preventive measures | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ciquatera | Single-celled sea plant or dinoflagel leaves present in tropical reefs: Gaberdiscus toxicus | Fish that have eaten plant directly or indirectly through other fish | Neurotoxin: paralysis can lead to death, but mortality is low (2-7%); illness can last a long time. Incubation: approximately 30 hours. | Tropical fish control | ||
| scrombroid | Microbiological degradation of the substance present (histidine → histamine) in fish | Mackerel-like fish (Mackerel, sardines, tuna). | Allergic reaction. Incubation: 10-90 minutes. | Store fish in a cool place ( | The toxin is heat stable | |
| amnesic-shellfish-poison-asp | Alg (diatom of the species Nitzschia punges). | Accumulation takes place in shellfish. | Memory loss, sometimes permanent. | Monitoring the growth of algae that produce toxic substances | The toxin is heat stable. US and Canadian East Coast only | |
| paralytic-shellfish-poison-psp {paralysis} | Alg (Dinoflagellate) | Accumulation takes place in shellfish. | 500-5000 (mesn). 0.3 (mouse, death after 5-7 minutes) | The toxin blocks nerve transmission. Mortality: 1-20%. Incubation: 1-30 min. | Monitoring the growth of algae that produce toxic substances | The toxin is heat stable. Algae are not yet found in Dutch waters, but algae can grow in temperate regions. |
| diarrhetic-shellfish-poison-dsp | Alg (dinoflagellate). | Accumulation takes place in shellfish. | 50 (mild signs of disease in humans based on okadaic acid) | Diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting. Incubation: 30 minutes to several hours. | Monitoring the growth of algae that produce toxic substances | The toxin is heat stable. Algae has been found in Dutch waters. |
| nerutoxic-shellfish-poison-nsp | Alg (dinoflagellate); levels can be so high that the sea turns red (red tide) | Accumulation takes place in shellfish. | 10 (lethal to mouse) | Block nerve impulse transmission. Rarely fatal. Incubation: 2 minutes to several hours | Monitoring the growth of algae that produce toxic substances |
Fraud
Fraud Status food safety summary
The fish chain lends itself to various forms of fraud. Some examples follow.
• Fish species such as bluefin tuna, cod and sole can be replaced by fish that are much cheaper. In a filleted state, this can only be found out by performing DNA analyzes.
• MSC-certified fish offered cannot in reality be MSC-certified fish.
• Improper handling and the use of additives and dyes can make fish appear fresher than it actually is.
• Quotas, which limit the maximum catch of many fish species to prevent overfishing, can be circumvented by keeping caught fish off the books and landing illegally.
• Weight indications do not have to correspond to reality.
Unfortunately, we have to note that all these forms of fraud occur in the fishing industry. This can affect food safety. The Dutch Food Safety Authority-IOD sees the following forms of fraud: converting, upgrading, and keeping quoted fish out of the books. These forms of fraud are briefly explained below.