First reading of Seafood Technical Regulation to bring closer traceability and compliance from source to plate

Russia's State Duma (Lower House) has approved Technical Regulation for Food Products from Aquatic Species in the first reading in late January 2009, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) with reference to IA REGNUM.

According to the chairman of Duma's Committee on Wild Stocks, Nature Management and Ecology Ms Natalia Komarova, the technical regulations are aimed at stricter requirements to fish products, processes of fishing and processing, as well as higher responsibility for compliance. The document specifies objects of technical regulation, requirements as to labeling, rules of compliance and conduct of state control (surveillance).

Komarova says that the draft law systematizes requirements to food products from aquatic biological resources which have so far been covered by state standards in various industry sectors. Komarova also underlines that the proposals of Duma's deputies on microbiological norms of fish products have been harmonized with international standards. At present, the food products from aquatic bioresources are divided into 68 groups under microbiological indices and the above mentioned committee suggests consolidating norm groups for seafood products. Such approach is supposed to expand possibilities for launching new processing technologies, encourage expansion of the product range and enable defining not only a percentage of hazardous samples from aquatic biological resources, but trends in increasing specific microbiological indices.

The technical regulations also provide for mandatory own production control as well as for confirmation of compliance at the stage of product clearance for sale on the territory of the Russian Federation and conduct of state control (surveillance) at the stage of product's circulation.