The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday released updated guidelines to help the seafood industry reduce or eliminate food-safety hazards.
The fourth edition of the Fish and Fishery Products Hazards Controls Guidance fulfills a mandate of the FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act, which became law in January.
Seafood processors can use the guidelines to help identify the likelihood that a food-safety hazard may occur in their product and to guide them in preparation of appropriate HACCP plans.
Key changes in the new edition include:
• Updated post-harvest treatment information for pathogenic bacteria in shellfish, including Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, consistent with the current recommendations of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference
• Revised time and temperature recommendations to better control for scombrotoxin (histamine) formation and pathogenic bacteria
• Consistency with statutes, regulations, tolerances and action levels that have changed since the publication of the previous edition
• The species-hazard identification table has been expanded to include additional species of seafood now found in the U.S. market
• More comprehensive descriptions of potential illnesses and injuries that could result from a hazard
The entire report can be downloaded here.
