Before you seal the fate of that fish in the grill or baking pan, here’s something to think about: How safe is that fish for eating?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service said U.S. consumers spent about $75.5 billion for seafood in 2009.
Last April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration released the latest edition of the “Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance,” a 476-page document that is designed to keep consumers safe from eating contaminated seafood.
The Hazards Guide is not only designed for commercial fishermen and fish processors but it is also designed to ensure that consumers don’t get sick from parasites, fungi, viruses, bacteria and other poisonous substances which living organisms produce in the seafood they eat.
An FDA research for example showed scombrotoxin as one of the most common causes of fish-related “food poisoning” in the United States. FDA’s Division of Seafood Safety consumer safety officer Robert Samuels said that “histamine, a primary component of scombrotoxin is formed by certain bacteria that exist on the gills and inside live, saltwater fish.”
This means that if fish such as mahi-mahi and tuna is not immediately chilled and kept chilled, the histamine-forming bacteria will continue to grow on the dead fish, and if you eat the fish, you could consume a huge amount of histamine. Your body may produce violent reactions such as itchy skin, tingling or burning around the mouth, dizziness, drop in blood pressure, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulty, palpitations and more.
The Hazards Guide provides ways on how to control it in processing mahi-mahi and tuna.
Samuels said that the formation of histamine affects how the fish are handled onboard the fishing boats. This means that with a lot of consumers buying fish such as mahi-mahi and tuna straight from local fishermen and from the stores on Saipan, this could be one of the consumer’s concerns.
This should not take away the taste and joy of grilling, baking, steaming or cooking your next fish, but an eye opener to keep you aware on how safe your fish really is.
The FDA is urging the public to check out the full version of the Hazards Guidance at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/Seafood/UCM251970.pdf and submit comments at any time.
Electronic comments can be submitted to http://www.regulations.gov1. Written comments can be submitted to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. All comments should be identified with the docket number listed in the notice of availability that publishes in the Federal Register.
