- Develop innovative food safety toxicity tests by identifying and characterising signature effects of key toxicants in fish
- Elucidate actions of key toxicants and their amelioration by fish nutrients in developing mice and cultured mouse cells
- Conduct food safety tests in animals fed fish farmed on traditional and new feeds
The extensive data on the interaction between nutrients and environmental contaminants in seafood generated by AquaMax will contribute to the European Food Safety Autority’s (EFSA) work to formulate scientifically based dietary advice to vulnerable consumer groups, such as pregnant and lactating women and young children, and to develop methodologies for the “risk benefit analysis” of consuming fish, whether wild or farmed.
The European Food Safety Authority is the keystone of European Union (EU) risk assessment regarding food and feed safety. In close collaboration with national authorities and in open consultation with its stakeholders, EFSA provides independent scientific advice and clear communication on existing and emerging risks.
European Food Safety Authority – Guidance on human health risk benefit assessments of foods
The European Food Safety Authority asked its Scientific Committee to prepare a guidance document for performing risk benefit assessments of food related to human health risks and human health benefits, which was published in February this year for public consultation. As foods provide health benefits but can sometimes also present health risks it is important for decision-makers to be able to take into account the net health impact of different foods.The guidance document highlights that risk-benefit assessment is a complex process that presents many challenges, such as limited data on benefit assessment. EFSA’s Scientific Committee recommends a three-step approach consisting of: an initial assessment which considers whether a risk-benefit assessment is actually needed or, alternatively, if the health risk clearly outweighs the health benefit (or vice versa); a refined assessment aimed at quantifying estimates of risk and benefit at relevant exposure levels; and finally, a full comparison of the combined risk and benefit to establish a net health impact value.
All stakeholders and interested parties were endorsed to provide their comments by the 15th of April 2010. In line with its policy on openness and transparency, EFSA will publish a summary report of the comments received on its website and will take these comments into consideration before finalising the guidance document.
Moreover, the data generated by AquaMax have been considered in risk-benefit assessments in order to provide guidance to national food safety authorities and the Codex Alimentarius Commission in their work on managing risks taking into account the existing data on the benefits of eating fish.
Codex Alimentarius
The Codex Alimentarius is a collection of internationally recognized standards, codes of practice, guidelines and other recommendations relating to foods, food production and food safety. Its texts are developed and maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a body that was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Commission's main aims are stated as being to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The Codex Alimentarius is recognized by the World Trade Organization as an international reference point for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection.
Abstract from the executive summary of the joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish consumption
The 38th meeting of the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC) requested the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), at its 29th session in 2006, to seek scientific advice from FAO and WHO on the health benefits of fish consumption comparing those to the health risks associated with the contaminants methylmercury (MeHg) and dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (DLCs) that may be present in fish.
The health risks associated with dietary intake of these compounds have previously been assessed by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).The CAC request was driven by growing public concern regarding the presence of chemical contaminants in fish. This concern has become more apparent in recent years, while during the same period the multiple nutritional benefits of including fish in the diet have become increasingly clear.
FAO and WHO held an Expert Consultation on the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption 25 to 29 January 2010 at FAO Headquarters, Rome, Italy. Seventeen experts in nutrition, toxicology, epidemiology, dietary exposure and risk-benefit assessments discussed the risks and the benefits of fish consumption. Their task was to review data on nutrient and specific chemical (MeHg and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs)) contaminant levels in a range of fish species, as well as recent scientific literature covering the risks and benefits of fish consumption. The review was used to consider risk-benefit assessments for specific end-points of benefits and risks, including for sensitive groups of the population.
The output is intended to provide guidance to national food safety authorities and the Codex Alimentarius Commission in their work on managing risks taking into account the existing data on the benefits of eating fish.
In brief the main conclusions were:
• Consumption of fish provides energy, protein, and a range of other important nutrients, including the long-chain n-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA).
• Among the general adult population, consumption of fish, particularly oily fish, lowers the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. There is absence of probable orconvincing evidence of CHD risks of MeHg. Potential cancer risks of DLCs are wellbelow established CHD benefits.
• When considering benefits of LC n-3 PUFA vs. risks of MeHg among women ofchildbearing age: maternal fish consumption lowers the risk of suboptimalneurodevelopment in their offspring compared to women not eating fish in mostcircumstances evaluated.
• At levels of maternal DLC intake (from fish and other dietary sources) that do not exceed the provisional tolerable monthly intake (PTMI) of 70 picograms/kg bodyweight/month established by JECFA, neurodevelopmental risk is negligible. At levels of maternal DLC intake (from fish and other dietary sources) that exceed the PTMI, neurodevelopmental risk may no longer be negligible.
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation recommendations:
To minimize risks in target populations, the Consultation recommended a series of steps that member states should take to better assess and manage the risks and benefits of fish consumption and more effectively communicate with their citizens:
• Acknowledge fish consumption as an important food source of energy, protein,and a range of essential nutrients and part of the cultural traditions of manypeoples.
• Emphasize the benefits of fish consumption on reducing CHD mortality (and CHDmortality risks of not eating fish) for the general adult population.
Human health 
