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Fish and Fishery Products
Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products
(Host Government Norway)
The Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products (CCFFP) is responsible for elaborating standards for fresh and frozen fish, crustaceans, and molluscs.
Existing Codex Standards
Codex standards on Fish and Fishery Products already adopted into the international food code include:
- Canned Crab Meat
- Canned Fish
- Canned Finfish
- Canned Tuna and Bonito
- Canned Salmon
- Canned Shrimps or Prawns
- Crabs
- Dried Shark Fins
- Fish Portions and Fish Fillets-Breaded or in Batter
- Flesh and Mixtures of Fish Fillets and Minced Fish Flesh
- Fresh Fish
- Frozen Fish
- Lobsters and Quick Frozen Lobsters
- Method of Checking Product Temperature of Quick Frozen Foods
- Minced Fish prepared by Mechanical Separation
- Molluscan Shellfish
- Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods
- Quick Frozen Blocks of Fish Fillets, Minced Fish
- Quick Frozen Fish Fillets and Quick Frozen Raw Squid
- Quick Frozen Finfish, Eviscerated or Uneviscerated
- Quick Frozen Fish Sticks (Fish Fingers)
- Quick Frozen Shrimp or Prawns
- Salted Fish
- Salted Fish and Dried Salted Fish of the Gadidae Family of Fishes
- Sardines and Sardine-Type Products
- Sensory Evaluation of Fish and Shellfish in Laboratories
- Shrimps or Prawns and Quick Frozen Shrimps or Prawns
- Smoked Fish
* This is an indicative list only. For a full list of standards approved by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, please consult its Official List of Standards
Outcomes from the 31st Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission
The 31st Session of the Codex Alimentaruis Commission adopted, at Step 8, the:
- Draft Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs.
- Section 7 of the Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs, Lobsters and relevant Definitions) was also adopted at Step 8, however, section 13 and relevant definitions were returned to Step 6 for further discussion at the 30th Session of CCFFP.
Last Meeting
The 29th Session of the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products was held in Trondheim, Norway, from 18 – 23 February 2008. At this meeting the committee:
- advanced to Step 8 the Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs and Lobsters and relevant Definitions); and the Draft Standard for Live and Raw Bivalve Molluscs.
The Committee also agreed to return to Step 6 the:
- proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (Crabs and relevant
Definitions), - draft Standard for Sturgeon Caviar
- proposed Draft List of Methods for the Determination of Biotoxins in the Draft Standard for Raw and Live Bivalve Molluscs
Agreed to return to Step 3 the:
- proposed Draft Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products (other sections including smoked fish)
- proposed Draft Standard for Smoked Fish
- proposed Draft Standard for Quick Frozen Scallop Adductor Muscle Meat
- proposed Draft Code of Practice on the Processing of Scallop Meat, and
- proposed Draft Revision of the Procedure for the Inclusion of Additional Species in
Standards for Fish and Fishery Products.
Agreed to return to Step 2 for redrafting, circulation at Step 3 and further discussion at the
next Session of the Committee:
- proposed Draft Standard for Fish Sauce, and
- proposed Draft Standard for Fresh/Live and Frozen Abalone.
Agreed to defer discussion on the Proposed Draft Amendment to the Standard for Quick
Frozen Fish Sticks (para. 165).
Other Matters of Interest to the Commission
Codex Committee on Food Additives (CCFA)
The committee was unable to provide clarification on the type of annatto extracts and the basis (bixin or norbixin) and agreed to consider this matter further at its next Session.
Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH)
The committee provided the following clarification to questions posed by the 38th Session of the CCFH on the hygiene provisions in this Standard:
The committee:
- agreed to refer only to the limit for E.coli irrespective of the type of
indicator bacteria used in growing-area monitoring programs - explained that E.coli as an indicator has been used for a long time and
was effective to monitor the safety of end products and that its inclusion in the standard
should not be delayed with the understanding that it could always be reviewed when
further scientific advice became available - included action to be taken when microbiological criteria were not met,
including detention, recall and further processing - explained that the use of a three-class sampling plan for E.coli was
consistent with the General Guidelines on Sampling (CAC/GL 50-2004) and with the
recommendations by the ICMSF - agreed to defer consideration of a criterion for Vibrio parahaemolyticus
pending completion of the work undertaken by the Committee on Food Hygiene, and - provided an analytical method for Salmonella in Section I-7.
Matters of Interest to FAO/WHO
The Committee agreed to ask scientific advice from FAO and WHO on the following
question:
“In the context of harvesting area monitoring for faecal contamination and lot
contamination, estimate the risk mitigation for Salmonella in bivalve molluscs when different sampling plans and microbiological criteria are applied.”
Download the report from this meeting
Next Meeting
The 30th Session of the CCFFP has been scheduled to be held in Agadir, Morocco, from 29 September – 2 October 2009.
Download the agenda for this meeting
Related Links
AQIS Seafood Export Consultative Committee
The FishBook: A Guide to Australian Government Programs, Grants and Services for the Australian Seafood Industry
Seafood Services Australia