From: Ivan Bartolo
Sent: 21 June 2007 10:32
To: 'Robert Stone'
Subject: RE: Smoked fish testing EU
Robert,
I know that in the UK the authorities are rather worried that some
smoked fish is entering the country with benzo(a)pyrene (BAP) levels
above the 5 microgrammes /kg limit. Exporters have the responsibility to
ensure that their goods comply with EU legislation if they wish to
export to the EU, and the BAP requirement is just one amongst many.
When the BAP level for smoked fish was being introduced, my workplace
carried out a survey of the BAP levels in UK-produced smoked fish. (It
is available here: http://www.seafish.org/resources/publications.asp -
enter the keyword "smoking"). We found levels to be 0.1ug/kg in cold
smoked fish and not more than 1.5ug/kg in fish hot smoked in a
traditional kiln. I believe that Codex are preparing a draft standard
for the smoking of fish which, if followed, may help certain smokehouses
reduce BAP in their product. I seem to have lost the link to that
document, but a root through the Codex website might throw it up.
On an EU wide basis, I think there is higher awareness currently of the
possibility of high BAP in imported smoked fish. For example, recently
smoked fish from Surinam was banned, though admittedly there might have
been factors other than the BAP level that led to this.
Regards,
Ivan Bartolo
Legislation Department
Sea Fish Industry Authority
Tel: 01482 327837
Fax: 01482 223310
Seafish legislation pages: www.seafish.org/b2b/area.asp?p=48
________________________________
From: owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu] On
Behalf Of Robert Stone
Sent: 20 June 2007 20:26
To: Seafood List
Subject: Smoked fish testing EU
List
I received this comment from Devfish. I have not seen anything on this
site about this. Any help?
Robert Stone
The Gourmet Food Company
Fiji
You may be aware that the EU have been getting rather excited about
carcinogens in smoked fish. They have banned imports from some
countries, and now require mandatory testing for benzo(a)pyrene, which
should not be present at levels of more than 5 microgrammes per kg in
the fish muscle. Cold smoked products normally seem to be below this
level, as do fish that are hot smoked whole and skinned before eating,
but hot smoked fillets can be a problem. Testing is also fairly costly.
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