Tobacco Documents Online

I • Will a new Govern program net the 0 ur February 1992 report on fish safety showed clearly that the quality of the fish we eat needs to be improved. In our tests for bacterial growth, almost 40 percent of the fish we sampled was past its prime or suffering from improper storage. Nearly half the fish we tested was contaminated by bacteria from human or animal feces, probably from unsanitary handling at one or more points in the distribution system. Fish receives less scrutiny from Government inspectors than does meat or poultry. There is no mandatory inspection of seafood, only a variety of voluntary programs-and they cover far less than half the fish Americans eat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the key Federal agency for fish safety, has doubled the money it spends on its seafood program and increased the frequency with which it inspects processing plants. Even so, the agency doesn't have the cash for the kind of continuous inspection required of meatpackers. So the agency has taken a different tack. Late last year, FDA Commissioner David Kessler announced plans for the first mandatory fish-safety program in the U.S. The "hazard analysis critical control point" program (HACCP for short) relies on Government oversight of the industry's performance, not increased inspections. In essence, HACCP requires processors to look at the way they work and determine where and how something could go wrong. The processor would then have to find a way to prevent problems and keep careful records to demonstrate to the Government that quality control is being maintained and any problems have been eliminated. For example, a processor may know that some of the fish it handles may he contaminated with bacteria or parasites present in the water. It could change its processing, the time of year it harvests fish, or its source of supply to eliminate the problems. It could also monitor refrigeration equipment to be sure it always functions properly, keeping the fish cold enough to prevent the growth of bacteria. Tom Billy, director of the FDA's Office of Seafood, calls HACCP "a systematic way of applying common sense," adding that "HACCP uses a scientific analysis of hazards to prevent them from occurring CONSUMER REPORTS JANUARY 1994 NCE OVER in the first place." Billy maintains that HACCP is better and less expensive than continuous Government inspections: "Most safety hazards associated with seafood cannot be spotted through visual observation, no matter how continuous it may be." Some observers have reservations, however. Carol Tucker Foreman, a former Buying tips for fresh fish Assistant Secretary of Agriculture and now an•attorney for the Safe Food Coalition, says, "I think one should always - lookClosely at anything described as a sil- ver bullet." She adds: "Anything FDA does to impose control on a daily basis is more than what they've been doing." To be effective, Foreman says, the HACCP program must help inspectors by provid- ing guidelines to improve fish safety; it shouldn't merely ratify existing quality- control procedures. HACCP was developed in 1959, when food giant Pillsbury worked with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to prepare foods for the space program. It's used by companies processing soup and canned vegetables (foods that can easily be contaminated if not processed scrupulously). In addition, a few fish processors and one retailer participate in a voluntary HACCP program the Department of Commerce set up in mid-1992. The FDA's new regulations have the ~ potential to reduce or e'' ate many of the problems we described in our 1992 report. But we don't think the regulations should take the place of a Federal seafood inspection act, long-overdue legislation. Further, the regulations don't deal with I problems at the end of the line-unsanitary a displays, improper handling, or mislabeling in retail stores. Those are shortcomings i that state and local health officials must address. We'd like to think that heightened ~ Federal activity would encourage local governments to do more, too. New Federal rules won't guarantee that fish will be uniformly clean and high- quality. You should follow these guide- lines to be sure the fish you buy is both fresh and wholesome:  Use your nose. Fresh fish smell like the sea, but without a strong odor. Freshwater fish often smell like cucumbers. Strong odors usually indicate spoilage.  When buying whole fish, look for bright, clear, bulging eyes, The gills should be bright red and moist. Cloudy, sunken, discolored, or slimy eyes often signal fish about to spoil. Whole fish should be displayed on ice, away from hot lights.  When buying steaks or fillets, look for moist flesh that still has a translucent " sheen. If the flesh is dried out or if the fibers are beginning to pull apart, the fish is old. Fillets displayed in separate pans surrounded by ice indicate that the retailer is mindful of quality.  Be wary of cooked seafood dis- played next to raw fish. That presents a potential health hazard.  Refrigerate the fish you buy quickly. Keep it in its original wrapper, in the coldest part of the refrigerator, and use it within a day.  Clean cooking surfaces after you've used them to prepare the fish, to avoid spreading bacteria.  Cook the fish thoroughly. It should be opaque and flake easily with a fork. 5 D