The Irish agency responsible for seafood controls has revealed alleged illness from shellfish and detection of pathogens in products in its 2022 annual report.
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is tasked with ensuring seafood safety for consumers up to retail and verifying seafood trade.
2022 was described as a challenging year for Ireland’s seafood sector with continuing repercussions from Brexit, the fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the impact of COVID-19 in export markets, and the energy and cost-of-living crises.
Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers (SFPOs) carried out 1,958 food safety official controls across 2,323 premises. This included inspections of approved establishments, sampling, vessel hygiene checks, and certification for a consignment of food exported to another country. A total of 1,249 samples were taken, the majority being food items.
SFPA responded to 74 incidents relating to concerns about the safety or quality of food which required examination because of public health risks.
Twenty-three incidents were reports of alleged illness following consumption of live bivalve mollusks, particularly oysters. Six were due to detecting Listeria monocytogenes in fishery products, and five were suspected Norovirus in shellfish with no reports of illness.
FoodWorld 