SEA 



SCIENCE 



Safer Seafood 



HACQ 3 Regulations are Adopted 



By Kathy Hart 



After Decem- 

 ber, Americans 

 concerned about the 

 safety of the nation's 

 seafood can rest a 

 little easier. New 

 federal regulations 

 imposed on the 

 seafood processing 

 industry aim to 

 prevent or signifi- 

 cantly reduce health 

 hazards such as 

 bacteria, viruses, 

 parasites and contamination from 

 environmental sources in fish and 

 fishery products. 



The U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- 

 tration estimates the new regulation 

 will prevent 20,000 to 60,000 seafood- 

 related illnesses a year, which cost 

 consumers as much as $1 15 million. 



To comply with the new federal 

 regulation, seafood processors across 

 the state are scrambling to understand, 

 develop and adopt new processing 

 procedures and guidelines based on 

 HACCP principles. 



HACCP (Hazard Analysis and 

 Critical Control Points) is a preventa- 

 tive food monitoring system designed 

 to ensure food safety. Instead of relying 

 on end-of-the-line food inspections, 

 HACCP users identify critical points in 



Scott D. Taylor 



the food processing chain where 

 potential food hazards can be con- 

 trolled, reduced or eliminated. 



Former FDA Commissioner 

 David Kessler says HACCP is "the 

 most fundamental shift in the way we 

 think about inspecting food in the past 

 50 years." In fact, the beef and poultry 

 industries will adopt HACCP proce- 

 dures over the next few years. 



The seafood industry should be 

 ready for the rigors of the new 

 regulation, say two North Carolina 

 State University seafood scientists, 

 thanks to the National Seafood 

 HACCP Alliance — an affiliation of 

 university food scientists and educa- 

 tors, government agencies and trade 

 groups drawn together three years ago 

 by the National Sea Grant College 



Program. The 

 alliance was formed 

 to help seafood 

 processors from 

 coast to coast 

 prepare for and 

 comply with the 

 FDA's HACCP 

 regulation. 



" HACCP's 

 uniqueness has 

 posed implementa- 

 tion problems for 

 the seafood industry, 

 which ranges from small family 

 businesses to multinational corpora- 

 tions. The HACCP system requires 

 that all processors develop a HACCP 

 plan for each species and processing 

 method used in their plant. Afterward, 

 they must implement monitoring and 

 record-keeping procedures to comply 

 with the plan. 



"Given the choice between 

 HACCP and an in-plant inspector, I'd 

 choose HACCP all day long," says 

 Jimmy Johnson of Washington Crab 

 Co. "At least that way I have some 

 control." 



To ready his processing facility 

 for the federal regulation that becomes 

 effective Dec. 18, Johnson has hired a 

 new employee to develop and imple- 

 ment his HACCP plan. And he's 



32 HOLIDAY 1997 



