Seafood Hotline

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

For many, a trip to the beach would not be complete without steamed clams, broiled lobster tail, or scallops on the grill. The scent of salt air, the cries of seagulls, and the messy splendor of cracking crabs is often synonymous with vacation. The bounty of the sea can be a delight, but for some it can become a problem. How do you know the seafood is fresh? Where should you buy it? How should you store it to prevent spoilage?

Rather than fishing around for answers to questions about seafood safety, now, with FDA's Seafood Hotline, consumers can get expert advice about buying, storing and preparing seafood. All that's needed is a telephone.

Since it began operating last October, FDA's Seafood Hotline has logged more than 10,000 calls. Consumers, doctors, lawyers, student chefs, and others have called from every state, as well as Hong Kong, Great Britain, Spain, Mexico, and Canada.

"The popularity of seafood is growing, but many consumers want more information on how to buy and use seafood products," says FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D. "The hot line is being established to help them directly with their particular questions."

Responding to Responsibilities

Since 1906, FDA has had the responsibility of ensuring the safety, wholesomeness, and proper labeling of seafood products, along with all other foods except fresh poultry and meat (the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Agriculture).

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and the Public Health Service Act, the agency carries out a program that includes inspection, sampling, analysis, research, and education on seafood issues.

These activities apply to both domestic and imported seafood, which is monitored through wharf exams, collecting and analyzing samples, and negotiating agreements with foreign governments to ensure that seafood exported to the United States is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled. In February 1991, Commissioner Kessler established the Office of Seafood within FDA. The office serves as the focal point for all seafood-related activities and has a budget of $40.5 million.

According to the agency's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, consumers eat about 1,000 commercial fish species and spend almost $30 billion annually on seafood. Approximately $3 billion of the U.S. harvest is exported, and about 200,000 seafood entries per year, worth nearly $5 billion, are received from about 135 different countries. Last year, Americans ate 13 billion seafood meals — about 15 pounds of seafood per person.

Many Questions Answered

FDA's objective for the hot line is to help minimize seafood safety and quality concerns from producer to consumer. Hot line director Ruth Welch says consumers can get answers to questions about buying, storing and handling seafood as well as questions on seafood labeling and nutrition. (Sorry, no recipes, she says.) Typical questions range from whether fish can safely be kept frozen for a year (it depends on the type of fish) to why canned tuna is darker now than it used to be (dolphin-safe fishing methods avoid harvesting the larger tuna with whiter flesh).

One caller asked if shark meat is tested to ensure the shark hasn't eaten a human. (It's not.) Someone else wanted to know how intestines are removed from oysters, clams and mussels eaten whole. (They aren't removed.)

Another caller was seeking information on a particular species. "I was served escolar in a restaurant. What kind of fish is it?" The answer: Escolar, also known as castor oil fish, has purgative properties and may cause diarrhea and cramps. FDA has recommended it not be sold in interstate commerce or served in restaurants.

A woman asked why the imitation crab meat made from fin fish she was feeding her cat glowed in the dark. "Is it radioactive?" The answer: Bio-luminescent bacteria, a natural phenomenon, caused the fish to glow in the dark. Although generally thought harmless, the effect of consuming this "neon aura" is currently under study.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.