Food Safety Authority welcomes seafood rules

New EU Regulations on the labeling of fish and seafood have come into effect on the Irish market for the first time.

The aim is to give consumers better information on these products, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Retailers are now legally obliged to include specific information including country of origin, stating if fish are farmed, the catch area and the common names for the species on the labeling.

The move is seen as a positive initiative to provide greater transparency for consumers on the traceability of all fish.

The Regulations require that fish are labeled with details of the common or commercial name and provides an option for including the scientific name of the species. Where Irish processors are exporting fish, these must be labeled with the common name of the fish in that country.

The new criteria applies to both marine and farmed fish sold through retailers to consumers, including live fish, fresh, chilled or frozen fish, fillets of fish, smoked fish, salted and dried products, raw or cooked whole prawns and shrimps, and live or raw shellfish, such as oysters or mussels.

Processed products such as breaded fillets, crab sticks or ready-to-eat dishes are not included by the new Regulations.

However, it will be possible for consumers to purchase fish directly from a fisherman or fish farmer in small quantities, up to a value of €20 without the need for labeling.

According to Alan Reilly, Deputy Chief Executive, FSAI :"There was some misleading labeling in relation to portraying whether a product was farmed or caught in the wild and indeed if it was Irish or not. The terms 'Irish Smoked Salmon' and 'Smoked Irish Salmon' caused some confusion as to which product was actually an Irish salmon and which was an imported salmon that was smoked in Ireland.

"This Regulation will assist clarification of this for consumers," Reilly added.