New ISO standard on traceability of fish products to help improve food safety

The use of a new ISO standard on the traceability of finfish products will reportedly help improve food safety by supplying stakeholders throughout the supply chain with accurate information about the origin and nature of these products.

Finfish constitute an important part of the modern food industry, as more people consume fish imported from other countries. During the past decade, several food crises have seriously affected many countries. Following the outbreak, the concept of traceability of food products has become a matter of special interest to policy makers and scientists.

The ISO 12875:2011specifies the information to be recorded in marine-captured finfish supply chains in order to establish traceability. It states how traded fishery products are to be identified, and the information to be generated and attached by food businesses that physically trade them through the distribution chains. The standard deals with the distribution for human consumption of marine-captured finfish and their products, from catch through to retailers or caterers.

The ISO definition of traceability concerns the ability to trace the history, application and location of that which is under consideration, as well as product information that could contain the origin of materials and parts, the processing history and the distribution and location of the product after delivery.

Traceability includes not only the principal requirement to be able to physically trace products through the distribution chain, from origin to destination, but also to be able to provide information on what they are made of and what has happened to them. These further aspects of traceability are important in relation to food safety, quality and labeling.

“ISO 12875:2011 provides a generic basis for traceability and will help to protect consumer health and ensure fair practices in food trade of finfish products,” says Rolf Duus the secretary of the Working Group that developed the standard. The potential users of the new standard include fishing vessels, vessel-landing businesses and auction markets, processors, transporters and storers, traders and wholesalers, as well as retailers and caterers. A similar standard called ISO 12877:2011 is also developed for farmed fi nfi sh distribution chains.