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 seafood. We also have some of the world's leading experts in 

 marine toxins and other specialties. Our organoleptic, or 

 sensory, experts teach other nations how to examine seafood for 

 signs of spoilage. 



Ensuring the safety of seafood presents special challenges to 

 both the industry that produces it and to FDA and other Federal 

 and State agencies charged with protecting the public health. 

 Seafood is a disparate array of products encompassing literally 

 hundreds of edible species that have little in common other 

 than an aquatic origin. Collectively, seafood has perhaps the 

 most diverse and complex microbiology of any food commodity. 

 The range of habitats for edible species is also extremely 

 diverse. These habitats have a bearing on the types of 

 microorganisms, toxins, parasites, chemicals, and other 

 potential hazards that fish and shellfish may be exposed to 

 that can affect human food safety. 



Seafood is still predominately a wild-caught flesh food that 

 must be harvested under frequently difficult conditions and at 

 varying distances — often quite significant — from 

 processing, transport, and retail facilities. These 

 conditions, distances, and duration of fishing trips can tax 

 any system of controls designed to assure safety and prevent 

 spoilage. 



