Norway is firmly committed to seafood safety

Norwegian Seafood is recognized as a high-quality product that satisfies the consumers in taste as well as safety. Norway has a thorough system dedicated to ensuring safe seafood and has taken an open approach regarding all safety information.

In Norway, seafood is one of the largest exports following oil. This makes the seafood industry very important for the Norwegian economy, and also makes the industry dependent on adjusting to international demands for quality and safety. With the Ministry of Fisheries at the top of the governing structure, public and private institutions all work together in a system dedicated to ensuring safety. Each organization executes it sown tasks and co-operates to create a good surveillance system of the food chain.

A system that ensures safety
The Ministry manages Norway’s entire fisheries and aquaculture industry, ports and sea transport infrastructure. By ensuring a safe marine environment, quality management at every stage of the food chain, interaction with consumer, and international co-operatio, the high quality and safety of Norwegian Seafood to consumers worldwide can be provided.
http://www.fkd.dep.no

Risk management at every stage
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority  NFSA unites all all aspects of the food chain “from sea and field to fork”. They implement regulations, performs approval, inspection, control and  risk analysis to ensure seafood safety. The thorough quality management is apparent, both in the products and in the system through a self-check system. Traceability is important at each stage of the production. NFSA provides expert advice to the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture.
http://www.mattilsynet.no

Independent research with advanced monitoring programs
The National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) carry out research and surveillance of Norwegian Seafood. The institute study health effects of seafood consumption and examine seafood safety with advanced monitoring programs. These includes determination of contaminants in and additives in seafood (both wild and farmed), and fish feed. Sensitive analytical methods performed since 1994 shows that the levels of udesireable substances, including those of mercury and dioxins, are well below the maximum limits. The surveillance program and results are available at NIFES internet site: http://www.nifes.no

To learn more about Norway’s commitment and which seafood surveillance programs exists please see the pamphlet.
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