Safety and quality of water used in the production and processing of fish and fishery products: meeting report

Overview

In 2020, the 43rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission approved the “Development of Guidelines for the Safe Use and Reuse of Water in Food Production” proposed at the 51st Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene. To support this work, JEMRA was asked to provide scientific advice on sector-specific applications and case studies for determining appropriate and fit-for-purpose microbiological criteria for water sourcing, use and reuse in fish and fishery products from primary production to retail.

This report presented the outcome from the JEMRA meeting, which includes the: Situation analysis concerning water use and reuse in the production and processing of fish and fishery products, analysis of case studies for different risk-based water use and reuse processing scenarios and species, water quality monitoring and the use of non-culture based microbiological methods, recommendations concerning the safety and quality of water used in fish production and processing, and critical research gaps and policy developments.