Ad-hoc Joint FAO/WHO Expert consultation on risks and benefits of fish consumption

Overview

In October 2023, FAO and WHO held a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation to update the Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption, published in 2011.

Three main objectives guided the expert consultation to set a framework for assessing the health benefits and risks of fish consumption and to provide guidance to the Codex Alimentarius Commission in their work on managing risks, considering the existing data:

• examine the results of recent systematic literature reviews on risks and benefits of fish consumption;
• draw conclusions regarding the health benefits and risks associated with fish consumption; and
• recommend a series of steps that Member States could take to better assess and manage the risks and benefits of fish consumption

This document summarizes the relevant conclusions and recommendations of the Expert Consultation. The full report will include conclusions about the health benefits of fish consumption, the toxic effects of dioxins and dl-PCBs and the toxic effect of Methylmercury and the protective effects of Selenium.