Seafood from Norway : food safety

Abstract

Since Norway is a major supplier of seafood worldwide, monitoring the food safety of Norwegian fish products is a priority. This commentary gives a brief overview of the food safety of seafood from Norwegian waters. Several preventative measures during harvest/catch, processing and distribution have been established and are implemented regularly. Furthermore, comprehensive monitoring programmes to detect and quantify undesirable substances, such as heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in Norwegian seafood are carried out. Substances with health benefits, such as omega-3 fatty acids, are also analysed. In general, evidence shows the level of undesirable substances in seafood from Norway to be low. In fact, in the majority of samples analysed, levels of undesirable substances were reported to be below the maximum limit set by the European Union (EU). This leads to the conclusion that consumption of seafood originating from Norway involves a low risk of negative health effects and that consumers can have confidence in the products they purchase.