History
Fish has been a source of food since before recorded history. There is enough archaeological evidence that mean were catching, and eating, fish in the Lower Paleolithic Era, some 100,000 years ago. In fact, the earliest record of fish as a food for Homo Sapiens is more than 380,000 years old.
More recently, there is evidence to suggest that European populations readily and habitually utilized fish as a food. Salmon was a favorite, being the most widely consumed, and some Amerindian and African populations were renowned shellfish gatherers (Toussaint-Samat, 1992).
The Egyptians and the Chinese both appreciated fish. The first recorded recipe using fish, a salad with marinated and spiced carp, comes from ancient China from 1300 B.C. Ancient Romans also were passionate about fish, still holding the record for the highest amount paid for fish, 2 live red mullets, at auction with a price of 20,000 sestertii, or roughly $24,000 US Dollars today. Fresh fish was the preference. The Chinese have been trading live fish more more than three millennia. In the Roman Empire, the best quality fish to be had was kept, transported and sold live (in particular eels and lampreys). Both the Chinese and the Romans used natural ice to keep fish fresh, with the Romans using a mixture of ice and seaweed.
Fish drying, smoking and salting were used to cure fish from very ancient times in different cultures. Fish salting and fish fermentation were already a flourishing integrated industry almost in contemporary terms (capture, farming, processing, packaging, transport and distribution) in the Roman Empire about 100 B.C. (McCann, 1988). Curing techniques have been revised and refined several times during the history of mankind and are still widely used. It is reported that salting herring onboard was introduced by the Dutch in the fourteenth century. This allowed longer fishing trips and reduced post-harvest losses, improving the production and economics of salted herring. Likewise, in the twentieth century, freezing trawlers and factory vessels were introduced to freeze and process fish onboard.
Fish farming became an affirmed technology in China between 2000 and 1500 B.C. and has never ceased to be a source of food. The first treaty on carp culture was written around 475 B.C. by a Chinese named Fan Li (Toussaint-Samat, 1992). This contains useful advice on design, construction, harvesting and economic management of fish ponds (Kreuzer, 1974).
Aquaculture in Italy can be traced back to the fifth-sixth century B.C., when the Etruscans developed it in coastal lagoons of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Mediterranean). Near the Port of Cosa, they performed impressive engineering works, cutting a channel in the rock (tagliata di Ansedonia) for the hydraulic management of a lagoon of between 500 and 1000 ha (Ardizzone et al., 1988). Later, the ancient Romans, as demonstrated by archaeological studies (McCann, 1988) developed in the same place, about 100 B.C.1 a sophisticated brackishwater aquaculture complex, integrating it with fish processing, packaging, and shipment of final products to many places in the Mediterranean basin. This complex also included seasonal coastal fishing of species like mackerel and tuna. The remainder of the Etruscan coastal lagoon of Cosa, the Burano lagoon (140 ha), is still exploited. The inhabitants of Cosa incorporated at a later stage the exploitation of the Orbetello lagoon (2700 ha), one of the early examples of efficient fisheries management of coastal lagoons (Ardizzone et al., 1988). The aquaculture activities in this area have been and still are integrated with marine fisheries (Porto Santo Stefano). The case of Cosa, as many other examples that can be found, particularly in the Mediterranean, China and Japan, testimony the tight relationship between self-sustained fishery activities, social and cultural aspects and environment.
There is also enough historical evidence that aquaculture in Europe continued to be an important source of protein for almost a thousand years after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Fish production in Europe was always a mixture of cultured and wild fish from marine and inland water sources (Montanari, 1993). A traveller at the beginning of the eighteenth century observed that fish consumption in Poland consisted of salted herring (imported from the Netherlands and Scotland), salted-dried cod, marine fish from the Baltic Sea (coastal populations) and farmed fish in the hinterland (Salmon, 1735). Fish consumption has been affected positively and negatively by religions, taboos, political decisions and beliefs throughout history, which in turn have affected fish production and marketing.
Fish consumption during the Middle Ages in Europe was promoted by the Catholic Church which ordered 166 days of fasting a year (including 40 days of strict fasting for Lent) during which fish could be eaten. This situation was usually reinforced by rulers; for instance, Charlemagne ordered that all his farms have fish ponds. Alternatively, the Reformation in England (involving changes in fasting) reduced the number of fishing vessels, severely affected freshwater fisheries (Montanari, 1993), and nearly abolished aquaculture (Kreuzer, 1974). As discussed later, this situation was to change again in the seventeenth century with the development of the herring fishery.
The importance of aquaculture in Europe declined for many reasons which varied from country to country; aquaculture collapsed in Germany during the Thirty Years' War (1618-38) and did not recover until the end of the nineteenth century (Kreuzer, 1974). The development of marine fisheries during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries reduced even further the relative contribution of aquaculture; a change mainly due to the large yield of marine captures in respect of investment, and the worldwide development of markets for certain types of salted fish (that allowed for storage and transport).
The importance of marine fishery captures, particularly cod and herring, increased in Europe from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, particularly in the northern countries. The fourteenth century was a period of famine in Europe and probably obliged coastal populations to increase the pressure on marine fishery resources. As Montanari (1993) points out the plague that devastated Europe between 1347 and 1351 affected the coastal populations that consumed fish as a source of protein and lipids (energy) far less than the inland populations which were stressed and prone to illness due to starvation.
During the thirteenth century, herring shifted its spawning migrations from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. It gave the Hanseatic League the possibility of developing the largest fishery industry of the time, replacing Denmark which had previously exploited this resource (not without war). This situation lasted until the sixteenth century when herring returned to spawn again in the North Sea and this time the Netherlands grasped the opportunity to develop as a major fishing country (Kreuzer, 1974).
This return of the herring to the North Sea also triggered off the development of the Scottish herring fishery during the seventeenth century. By the second half of the seventeenth century salted fish was one of the main British exports to Europe. In the period January March 1665 at the port of Leghorn [Livorno] (then Great Duchy of Tuscany) 9 020 barrels of salted herring were unloaded (including 220 of "white" salted herring), 345 barrels of salted salmon and 500 small barrels of salted pressed sardine (saracche or salachi) transported from Britain, and comprising almost the total cargo of eleven vessels (Cipolla, 1992). It could be presumed that the access to markets for salted herring was a main cause for friction between Britain and the Netherlands at that time.
Fishing rights were very often part of peace treaties between European countries. The Treaty of Utrech (1713), although recognizing, in principle, to Spanish fishermen (mainly Basques), the right to fish for cod and whales off Newfoundland (the Basques had been fishing there since before 1550), in practice it deprived them such a right. This forced the Spaniards to look for alternatives, for instance, to increase fishing and salting sardine off Galicia and to increase fishery imports. As one of the measures to tackle the lack of fish the Spanish King Charles IV founded, in 1789, a fishing company based in Puerto Deseado (Patagonia, now Argentina) with the purpose of fishing and salting. The Spaniards returned to fish off Newfoundland only in 1921 (Lopez Capont, 1986). The development of this conflict is still making news (1995).
By the early nineteenth century, new methods were needed to extend the shelf-life of fish and fishery products. Canning of fish and meat were invented by the Frenchman, Appert (procedure published 1810) as a means of supplying food to Napoleon's army.
The effect of low temperature on the keeping time and quality of fresh fish was known throughout the ages. "Weather freezing" is a method applied since time immemorial by Eskimos; it consists in leaving fish outside in windy conditions of subfreezing temperatures and was probably the start of the modern fish-freezing industry. There are records that indicate that "weather freezing" was carried out in the region of the Great Lakes (USA and Canada) early in the nineteenth century and the method was still applied there in the 1960s (Tressler et al., 1968). It was not until the development of mechanical refrigeration in the nineteenth century that ice and cold facilities became readily available. The French engineer, F. Carré, constructed the first ice-block machine, presented at the Great Exhibition of London in 1859.
In 1877 the first cargo of mutton, using mechanical refrigeration, was transported from France to Buenos Aires (Argentina) onboard the vessel "Le Frigorifique", mainly to demonstrate that intercontinental transport of frozen foods was feasible. The Argentineans, with the assistance of Carré, fitted out a second vessel "Paraguay" and started to transport frozen meat to Europe (Toussaint-Samat, 1992).
The Americans were the first to realize the potential market possibilities of frozen fish, and by 1865 they started to freeze fish by putting it in pans surrounded by ice and salt. Around 1880 ammonia refrigeration machines had begun to be utilized and by the end of the nineteenth century fish freezing was an important industry in the USA which had started to export frozen salmon to Europe. At that time, fish was being frozen in Europe, but in smaller quantities than in the USA (Tressler et al., 1968). The initial quality of frozen fishery products was very poor and the process not well understood (Burgess, 1974). In 1929, an American, Clarence Birdseye, decided to return to the source and find out why Eskimo frozen fish ("weather freezing") was of much better quality than mechanical frozen fish. After spending time with the Eskimos of Labrador, he found that the secret was in the freezing speed; in the USA he developed the first plate and double-belt freezers and initiated the era of "quick freezing" (Toussaint-Samat, 1992).
After the development of the herring and cod fisheries, most of the marine fish consumed in Europe came from sailing boats, like the trawling smacks that drifted downwind with beam trawls. Steam propulsion was introduced in European fishing boats towards the end of the nineteenth century and these mechanized boats replaced sailing fishing boats. Internal combustion engines (Diesel) were introduced in European fisheries at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and completely replaced steam propulsion by the 1960s. After the second world war, fishing boats in Europe started to introduce echo-sounders and echo-ranging to detect fish, and these methods were taken up by industrial fishing fleets all over the world. The first full-scale factory stern trawler, "Fairtry", was constructed in 1953 in Aberdeen, Scotland. It incorporated plate freezers and a combination of plate and blast freezers. Following years of research and development at Torry Research Station, Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1961 commercial vertical plate freezers were installed for the first time onboard the stern trawler "Lord Nelson". Since then there has been a rapid development of fish processing and freezing at sea.
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Grading and Labeling
Not all seafood is federally inspected by the United States Department of Commerce (USDC), so it is wise to know what labels to for when you are purchasing seafood. Celebrity Foods carries a full line of Sashimi grade seafood products, 100% of which are federally inspected to ensure product safety and wholesomeness. All of our seafood products are quick-frozen right on the vessel, meaning that the only way you can get fresher seafood is to bait a hook and catch it yourself!
When you are purchasing seafood, you will most-assuredly see a variety of labels stuck on the packaging. Not every label is equal, and not all of them denote inspection by the USDC. Below, you will see a list of labels that mean your seafood was inspected by the USDC. Products inspected and certified under the USDC Seafood Inspection Program which meet all specified requirements can bear one or more of the following official marks or statements associated with the program.
U.S. Grade A
The U.S. Grade A mark signifies that a product meets the highest level of quality established by the applicable U.S. grade standard and has been processed under the USDC Seafood Inspection Program in a sanitarily approved facility.
Processed Under Federal Inspection (PUFI)
The PUFI mark or statement signifies that the product is certified to be safe, wholesome and properly labeled, conforms to quality and other criteria in the approved specification, and has been officially inspected in a USDC sanitarily approved facility under Federal inspection.
Lot Inspection Mark
The USDC Lot Inpected mark identifies products that were officially sampled and inspected to conform to an approved specification or criteria. This mark may be used on retail packages and packaging provided the label and specification are approved.
Retail Mark
Participants qualify to utilize the Retail Mark by contracting for sanitation services and associated product evaluation. Use of the retail mark gives retail firms the opportunity to advertise on banners, logos, and/or menus that their facility is recognized by the USDC for proper sanitation and handling of fishery products.
HACCP Mark
The HACCP mark may be used alone or in conjunction with existing grade marks to distinguish that the product was under the HACCP Quality Management Program. Participants receive the marketing benefits of using the HACCP mark on brochures, banners, and company labels.
While these labels may seem comprehensive in their scope, actual Federal labeling laws have proven ineffective. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a mandatory set of Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules. These were intended to inform seafood where the seafood they were purchasing came from, as well as whether it was farm-raised or wild-caught. This labeling program was not strong enough. Why?
- First, all "processed" seafood is exempt, leaving more than 50% sold in the U.S. without labels,
- Around 90% of fish sellers such as wholesale markets are exempt, and
- An enforcement mechanism was never put in place and those that were caught violating faced paltry fines.
Even worse, those fish that were being packaged with labels were being mislabeled. A 2005 study found that salmon labeled as "wild-caught" in six of eight (75%) New York stores were actually farm-raised.
With the Federal system proving ineffective, many state governments set out to succeed where the Federal government was failing.
- Alaska requires labeling of all farm-raised halibut, salmon or sablefish - even in restaurants.
- Since the early 1990s, Washington State has required labeling for farm-raised salmon sold in retail and wholesale markets.
- Arkansas and Louisiana require labeling for farmed catfish sold in retail and wholesale markets.
But these state laws are facing challenges from Congress. The National Uniformity for Food Act, should it become law, would bar most state seafood labeling laws (as well as labeling laws for other types of food) that have proven to be more effective and protective than Federal law. The National Uniformity for Food Act, 2005, was never passed, but the National Uniformity for Food Act, 2006, which addressed issues in the 2005 proposal, was introduced in May 2006.
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Nutritional Value
Seafood is a delicious addition to a healthy, balanced diet. Eating fish twice a week is good for your heart, your brain and your entire body. Health experts around the world have been admonishing us to enjoy the benefits of a seafood diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
The American Heart Association has stated that Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the hearts not only of healthy people, but those at high risk of, or who have, cardiovascular disease. The AHA recommends eating fish, particularly fatty fish, at least two times per week. It is a good source of protein and benefits from a lack of the high saturated fats found in meat products. Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
A 2005 study by the American College of Cardiology (PDF File) found that the consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish is associated with lower incidence of congestive heart failure (CHF) among older adults. And the Alzheimer's Association recommends fish such as halibut, mackerel, salmon, trout and tuna as part of a "brain-healthy" diet.
But beyond omega-3 fatty acids, what other nutritional benefits are there from fish?
Protein:
We know proteins to be primarily composed of amino acids. Our body's digestive enzymes breaks down the proteins in the foods that we eat to release those amino acids which, in turn, are used to synthesize new proteins that our body's use for growth and maintenance. The body can manufacture amino acids on its own, with the exception of 9 essential amino acids that must be received from the foods we eat. And guess what - seafood contains all 9 of those essential amino acids. If you do the math, you can plainly see that seafood is not only an excellent, but necessary, addition to a healthy diet. The protein in seafood is easier for the body to break down and absorb than those found in red meats and poultry.
Calories and Fat:
In our image conscious society, we hear a lot about calories, or the counting of calories. But do we really know what we are counting? The food calorie or kilogram calorie is a measure of energy. It is most readily defined as the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram (approximately 2.2lbs.) of water 1 degree Celsius. The calories that we get from the foods we eat supply the energy the body needs to perform all of its many functions. The nutrients that supply energy to our body are fat, which equate to 9 calories/gram, and carbohydrates, which equate to 4 calories per gram each.
Most varieties of seafood, both finfish and shellfish, are low in fat - less than 5% (and in many cases, less than 1%). By that logic, most varieties of seafood provide 100-200 calories per 3.5oz.
The USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, in their published Dietary Guidelines, advise us to reduce our overall fat consumption from 40 to 30% of our energy intake. What does that mean? It means that of all the calories that we get from food, only 30% of them should come from fat. Furthermore, we should reduce saturated fat consumption to account for 10% of our total energy intake. This should be balanced with poly- and monounsaturated fats, which should account for about 10% of energy intake each.
Once again, seafood is a great choice to help us achieve the goals set forth by the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services. Seafood, in most varieties, is very low in fat; and that fat is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Cooking methods such as broiling, poaching, microwaving or rack-steaming will help reduce the amount of fat in a total fish recipe. Increasing the intake of fish will result in a reduction of calorie and saturated fatty acid intake.
Vitamins and Minerals:
Seafood is an excellent source of B complex vitamins, in particular niacin, B12 and B6. Thiamine is also found in seafood. The mineral in seafood are abundant as well. It is an extremely good source of calcium, with the soft bones in small fish like sardines and smelts and canned varieties of salmon being particularly strong sources of calcium. Other minerals in seafood include:
- Zinc - found in oysters and crustaceans.
- Iron - found in oysters, bluefish and shrimp
- Copper - found in oysters, crabs and lobsters
- Potassium - found in mussels, scallops and clams
- Iodine, Phosphorus and Selenium - found in all seafood in general.
Cholesterol:
Finfish are generally quite low in cholesterol, with shellfish having low to moderate amounts. In the past, shellfish have been excluded from low cholesterol diets because they were believed to be high in cholesterol. New sophisticated measuring techniques have indicated that cholesterol levels of many molluscan shellfish are much lower than was previously thought. In fact, molluscs, such as clams, oysters, scallops, and mussels were found to have a large percentage of noncholesterol sterols present that appear to have a positive effect. These sterols inhibit the absorption of cholesterol eaten at the same meal. Cholesterol levels in such crustaceans as crab and lobster are similar to that found in the dark meat of chicken. Because shellfish contain very little saturated fat, they are no longer excluded from typical low cholesterol diets.
Once again, seafood is an excellent choice when trying to meet the U.S. dietary goal of reducing cholesterol intake to about 300mg/day. Fish averages 50-90mg of cholesterol per every 3.5 ounces, with shellfish containing slightly higher amounts (up to 110mg per 3.5oz. serving) and fish such as squid and octopus containing rather high levels 250mg and 122mg, respectively, per 3.5oz. serving.
Fish Oils:
The consumption of fish oils may provide added significant health benefits. Fish oils may provide a protective effect in minimizing the development of several chronic degenerative diseases and may have a therapeutic effect in certain cases, for example, arthritis, atherosclerosis, and vasospasm.
Many fish oils are composed primarily of the omega-3 fatty acids. How do omega-3 fatty acids prevent or improve human diseases? After several medical studies, it now appears that the omega-3 fatty acids help keep our bodies from over-producing eicosanoids, a group of hormone-like substances that can, in large amounts, contribute to arthritis, asthma, heart disease, stroke, and related disorders. A diet that balances plant foods with fish foods and their omega-3 fatty acids, remains an effective and enjoyable way to combat health problems.
Want to live healthy? Introduce seafood to your diet.
Fresh seafood is an excellent source of proteins, a good source of minerals, and some vitamins, and its is low in fats, cholesterol, and sodium. In general, seafood is one of the most nutritionally balanced foods. A seafood diet helps control weight and goes a long way toward preventing heart disease. Besides, a seafood diet is a delicious way to accomplish heart-healthy eating habits.
How much seafood should we eat? A Dutch study published in May 1985 in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that "the consumption of as little as one or two fish dishes a week may be of preventive value in relation to coronary heart disease." These findings were echoed by scientists who gathered at a two-day conference on seafood and health in November 1985. They agreed that eating several seafood meals a week is a good way to cut your risk of heart disease. "I have no qualms about the American public eating three or even four meals of fish a week," said Dr. William Castelli, director of the Framingham Heart Study.
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How to Buy
In general, we do our grocery shopping with a purpose. We either have a tried-and-true recipe, or a new recipe we are excited to try. With seafood, it is wise to approach things in a bit of a different manner. Go ahead and plan your menu for seafood, but wait until you get to the store until deciding on the exact type of fish. This will allow you to select from the freshest items available. Whether you buy fresh or frozen, you will find the following suggestions helpful in making informed seafood purchases.
If you follow these three general guidelines, you will always be happy with the seafood selections you make:
- When purchasing whole fish or fish fillets, look for firm flesh. If you press the fish with your finger and it leaves an indentation it is not high quality fish, though it may still be good to eat. Look for fish with a shiny flesh. Dull flesh indicates old fish. With fish fillets that may have been previously frozen, flesh may not be as shiny due to the freezing process, but they are still great to eat.
- Make sure there is no darkening of the edges of the fish, or brown or yellowish discoloration - especially if these areas appear dry or mushy. You can always ask to have the fish rinsed under cold water and then smell it, if there is a question of freshness. Fresh fish should have no 'fishy' or ammonia smell.
- If you are a fan of live shellfish such as clams, oysters and mussels, make sure they have slightly gaping shells that close tightly when tapped. If the shells don't close, the shellfish may be dead and should be discarded. Live crabs and lobsters should show leg movement which may slow with refrigeration, but should move nonetheless.
You may be surprised to find that most frozen fish compares in quality to fresh fish pulled directly from the water. With Celebrity Foods delicious, flaky, USDC inspected seafood selections, fresh catches are immediately processed and frozen right on the vessel. That's why we say that the only way you will get fresher fish is to catch it yourself! If you are buying frozen fish, keep these suggestions in mind:
- Whole fish should be free of ice crystals and have no discoloration.
- Fillets or steaks should be solidly frozen in the package.
- There should be no evidence of drying out (e.g. white spots, dark spots, discoloration or fading of red or pink flesh).
- There should be no signs of frost or ice particles inside the package. If ice crystals are present, the fish has either been stored for a long time or thawed and refrozen.
- There should be no liquid, frozen or thawed, evident in the package.
- Make sure there are no open, torn or crushed edges on the package.
Now you are all set to make wise seafood purchases. But once you get it home, how do you store it until you are ready to prepare it? It is always best to cook fresh seafood within 2 days of purchase. If that's not possible, remove it from its package, rinse it under cold water and pat it dry with paper towels. Refrigerate finfish as close to 32° as possible. Fish can be stored twice as long at 32° as it can at 37°. When fish sits in its own juices, the flesh deteriorates more rapidly. To prevent this from occurring, place cleaned fish, whole fillets or steaks onto a cake rack so that the fish do not overlap. Set the rack in a shallow pan. If it is necessary to keep the fish more than 24 hours, fill the pan with crushed ice. Next, cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil to seal it tightly and refrigerate. Drain and re-ice as necessary.
Each day, rinse the fish under cold water, wash the rack and pan, and change the ice. If the fish has a fishy or ammonia smell after being rinsed, it should be thrown out. If you aren't planning to use the fish within 1 to 2 days, it is best to freeze it immediately. To do this, rinse the fish under cold water and pat very dry with paper towels. Wrap the fish very tightly in plastic wrap, squeezing out all of the air, then wrap it very tightly in aluminum foil and freeze. Use the frozen fish within 2 weeks for best results.
When it comes time to use the frozen fish, always thaw it in the refrigerator. If you thaw it at temperatures in excess of 40°, excessive drip loss will occur that can adversely affect taste, texture, aroma and appearance.
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Safety
HACCP is the key to safe seafood. But what is it?
HACCP (pronounced "has-sip") stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. It is an effective way of ensuring the safety of seafood, as well as other foods. It works by preventing food safety problems from developing rather than testing food after its production to make sure it's safe. It is designed to prevent problems from occurring rather that fixing them after production.
HACCP was developed during the late 1950s and early 1960s as a way to assure the safety of food for the space program. The Pillsbury Company, in conjunction with NASA, developed this method of controlling food safety problems.
There are two parts to HACCP. Part one includes making a list of things that can cause food to be unsafe - this is the hazard analysis portion of the acronym. Part two is deciding at which point in the production of food those identified hazards can best be controlled. This is known as the critical control point for the hazard.
How Does HACCP Make Seafood Safe?
All parts of the seafood processing operation are examined for hazards. This includes the raw materials, ingredients, processing steps, storage and distribution of seafood. Hazards include things such as disease-causing organisms, toxins, environmental contaminants (like pesticides), chemicals (cleaners, sanitizers, lubricants, etc.) and physical hazards (wood, metal and glass). For each hazard, a critical control point is identified where the potential food safety problem is controlleed.
Records are kept at each critical control point so that inspection agencies can be certain the HACCP system is operating to provide safe food. As an extra safety measure, certain sanitation activities also must be conducted and documented.
Under new United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, all seafood processors will be required to operate under the HACCP program. Imported seafood will also be covered.
What Steps Can Consumers Take to Keep Seafood Safe?
The most important considerations in safe handling of seafood at home are cleanliness, temperature and time. Keep the preparation area, your utensils and your hands clean. Avoid cross-contamination by avoiding contact between raw and cooked seafood or other foods.
Remember that seafood is highly perishable. If you are buying seafood at a supermarket, make it one of your final purchases. Use your hands, eyes and nose when selecting fresh finfish or shellfish. It should feel cold to the touch and should not smell "fishy". The odor should be similar to that of an ocean or sea breeze.
Be aware of temperatures - those of the air, of your refrigerator and freezer, and while cooking. Keep seafood out of the danger zone (40°F - 140°F). And be aware of time by limiting how long fish and shellfish are unrefrigerated.
Finally, to help keep your seafood safe - keep it clean, keep it cool and keep it moving! By following these rules and adopting the guidelines previously discussed, you can be confident that your efforts and the HACCP program are working together to keep your seafood safe.
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References
Aboutseafood.com. 30 Mar., 2007. 1 Mar., 2007.
“Get Healthy with Fish Twice a Week”
http://www.aboutseafood.com/health/twice_a_week.cfm
Alzheimer’s Association. 30 Mar., 2007. 16 Mar., 2007.
“Adopt a Brain-Healthy Diet”
http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_adopt_a_brain_healthy_diet.asp
American College of Cardiology. 31 May, 2005. 16 Mar., 2007.
“Fish Intake and Rick of Incident Heart Failure” (PDF File)
http://www.acc.org/media/releases/highlights/2005/june05/fish.pdf
American Heart Association. 30 Mar., 2007. 16 Mar., 2007.
“Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids”
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4632
FAO Corporate Document Repository. 30 Mar., 2007. 8 Mar., 2007.
“Past, Present and Possible Future of the Fishery Industry”
http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/V8490E/V8490E03.htm
GovTrack.us. 30 Mar., 2007. 12 Mar., 2007.
“S.3128 [109th]: National Uniformity for Food Act of 2006"
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-3128
Institute of Medicine. 11 Oct., 2006. 5 Mar., 2007.
“Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks” (PDF File)
http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/37/683/11762_Seafood%20Choices%20Report%20Brief.pdf
Know Your Food – Food and Water Watch. 30 Mar., 2007. 19 Mar., 2007.
“Labeling Laws for Your Seafood”
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fish/shrimp/labeling-laws-for-your-seafood-1
Ocean’s Alive. 30 Mar., 2007. 6 Mar., 2007.
“Buying Guide: Becoming a Smarter Seafood Shopper”
http://www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm?contentID=4021
Sea Grant University of Delaware. 30 Oct., 2002. 8 Mar., 2007.
“Consumer Handling and Seafood Safety”
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/MAS/seafood/handling.html
Sea Grant University of Delaware. 30 Oct., 2002. 8 Mar., 2007.
“Seafood Nutritional Information”
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/mas/seafood/nutritioninfo.html
Simply Seafood’s Complete Guide to Fish & Shellfish. Vol. I, Issue 6. 26 May, 2006. 9 Mar., 2007.
“Part 1: Buying and Handling”
http://www.simplyseafood.com/newsletters/summer_special_06/guide.html
USDC Seafood Inspection Program. 20 Sept., 2006. 3 Mar., 2007.
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/
USDC Seafood Inspection Program. 12 Mar., 2007.
“Seafood Inspection Services of the U.S. Department of Commerce” (PDF File)
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/ServicesBrochure.pdf
USDC Seafood Inspection Program. 26, Sept. 2006. 21 Mar., 2007.
“Seafood Safety: Simple solutions to handling seafood safely” (PDF File)
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/Consumerbrochure.pdf
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. 5 Jan., 2007. 11 Mar., 2007.
“Seafood Information and Resources”
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/seafood1.html
University of Delaware College of Marine and Earth Sciences. 8 Mar., 2007. 15 Mar., 2007.
“Seafood Safety: What Consumers Need to Know” (PDF File)
http://www.ocean.udel.edu/mas/seafood/HACCP.pdf
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The