Code of practice for fish and fishery product

The present Code of Practice for Fish and Fishery Products was developed by the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products by merging the individual codes and adding new sections. Those codes were primarily of a technological nature, offering general advice on the production, storage and handling of fish and fishery products on board fishing vessels and on shore. The present Code also deals with the distribution and retail display of fish and fishery products.

The combined Code was further modified to incorporate the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)1 approach described in the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969), Annex: “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and guidelines for its application”. The Code describes a prerequisite programme covering technological guidelines and the essential requirements of hygiene in the production of fish, shellfish and their products that are safe for human consumption, and otherwise meets the requirements of the appropriate Codex product standards. The Code also contains guidance on the use of HACCP, which is recommended to ensure the hygienic production of fish and fishery products to meet health and safety requirements.

Within the Code, a systematic approach similar to that of HACCP has been applied to essential quality, composition and labelling provisions of the appropriate Codex product standards. Throughout the Code, this is referred to as “defect action point (DAP) analysis”. However, DAP analysis is optional.

The Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products recommended at its twentieth Session that defects of a commercial nature, such as workmanship defects, which had been removed from Codex fish product standards, be transferred to the appropriate Codex Code of Practice for optional use between buyers and sellers during commercial transactions.

This Code will assist all those engaged in the handling and production of fish and fishery products, or concerned with their storage, distribution, export, import and sale, in attaining safe and wholesome products that can be sold on national or international markets and meet the requirements of Codex standards.

The aim of this Code is to provide user-friendly background information and guidance for the development of fish and shellfish process management systems that would incorporate good manufacturing practice (GMP) as well as the application of HACCP in countries where such measures have not yet been developed. In addition, it could be used in the training of fishers and employees in the fish and shellfish processing industries.

The practical application of this international Code in the context of national fisheries may require some modifications and amendments to take into account specific local conditions and consumer requirements. In that sense, the present Code is not intended to replace the advice or guidance of trained and experienced technologists regarding the complex technological and hygienic problems unique to a specific geographical area or fishery; in fact, this Code is intended to be used as a supplement in such instances.