Research on fish and shellfish safety

16 March 2011

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in Scotland is commissioning 5 pieces of research that will help gather evidence to improve the hygiene standards of fish and shellfish consumed in Scotland.

The areas of research are to:

• review the processes in place throughout the processing chain that are designed to control the formation of histamine in at-risk fish species
• investigate the prevalence of parasitic nematodes in commercially farmed marine fish in Scotland and to review current farming practices
• carry out a survey of biotoxins in Scottish whole king scallops to assess whether current controls are effective in protecting public health
• develop specific methods to detect and monitor toxin-producing phytoplankton species and determine their seasonal abundance
• assess the impacts of heavy rainfall and other environmental impacts on E. coli levels in shellfish.

More details are on the FSA website here: http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2011/mar/fsasresearch