BUY Wholesale frozen Fish AT COMPETITIVE PRICES

Frozen FISH THAT MEETS EU HYGIENE STANDARDS

Getting fish from the sea to consumers plates safely and securely is one of the aims of EU food legislation. As the European fishery production is largely limited by quotas and restrictions, Europe becomes more dependent on imports, following restrictions on landings and rising consumption levels. Many of the suppliers of fishery products into European countries are in fact developing countries. Most often the fishery products from developing countries do not directly compete with European supplies, but serve as a supplement to the local assortment.

However, developing countries have to comply with a complex and sophisticated regulatory framework governing quality and safety of fish products as the quality of a fish product is the key to successful penetration of the European Union market.

All fishery products (whether fresh, chilled, frozen, canned, salted, smoked or dried) imported from third countries into the EU must come from a preparation, processing, packaging or storage facility that is approved by the competent body in the production country to be able to guarantee an acceptable quality of fishery product for consumers in the EU.

A more specific – and in a mandatory manner – a standard applies to the food-processing industry which is the “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point” (HACCP) standard.

The EU Directive 93/43/EC stipulates that: “foodstuff companies shall identify each aspect of their activities that has a bearing on the safety of foodstuffs and ensure that suitable safety procedures are established, applied, maintained and revised on the basis of the HACCP system.”

The HACCP system is applicable to companies that process, treat, pack, transport, distribute or trade foodstuffs, and is therefore also of relevance to fish exporters in developing countries, because responsibility for conformity to the system is passed all along the production chain.

European Union Combined Nomenclature[1] codes for fishery products

Strengthened collaboration with EU and other European countries under proper terms is one of the ways to overcome problems with health regulations and quality control requirements.

The supply from West African countries consists mostly of warm-water species from tropical areas. In terms of volume, among African countries, Morocco - which takes advantage of its strategic position near the EU - is the major supplier but Mauritania is becoming an alternative player thanks to its large  pelagic and sea bottom resources.

FISH SUPPLY FROM MAURITANIA

From 1996 to 1998, the  Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA) has invested about US$ 200 000 to support the Mauritanian fish industry in order to introduce the concepts of “Good Manufacturing Practices” (GMPs) and “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points” (HACCP) in the local fish processing industry.

When the European Union “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points” standard became an import requirement, the Mauritanian fish processing firms feared that they might lose their share in the European market, the major outlet for their products as they had neither the knowledge nor the know-how to introduce and implement a HACCP-based safety assurance program. In Mauritania, Fish exports account for about 60 per cent of foreign earnings.

UNIDO  (an United Nation body aiming at the reduction of poverty in countries with developing and transition economies through sustainable industrial growth) intervened at the levels of the Mauritanian institutions and enterprises. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points and Good Manufacturing Practices were introduced in 13 local plants. Special training courses and on-the-job-instruction were organized for technical personnel and those in charge of the production chain. At the same time, training was organized for the staff of the “National Centre for Oceanographic and Fish Research” (CNROP) and the “National Institute for Maritime and Fishery Training” (ENEMP) in Nouadhibou..

• 70 persons were trained in “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points” and “Good Manufacturing Practices”, of which 21 are directly involved in the production process.
• 13 companies introduced “Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points” and formulated their own manuals.
• The National Centre for Oceanographic and Fish Research laboratory has been equipped to become operational for implementing different chemical and microbiological analyses.

As local producers are meeting safety and quality requirements for export markets, particularly towards the European Union, the Mauritanian fish exporters are now able to continue to sell their products to the European Union matching all required health criteria.  If interested in buying fish wholesale contact us