Domestic fish products under increased scrutiny

Food and veterinary authority HFS carries out regular inspections at fish production facilities across the country.

Most of these inspections relate to fresh or frozen products intended for export. But now HFS vows to increase its scrutiny of ready-to-eat products sold domestically.

This comes in the wake of recent product recalls of cold-smoked ready-to-eat products from seafood supplier Sjógæti.

Initially, the recalled products only included those packaged after 1 March of this year. But now it has emerged that listeria bacteria have been detected in Sjógæti products packaged as long ago as in October last year.

 >> SEE ALSO Seafood products recalled due to safety concerns

HFS had not previously conducted tests like the ones that revealed excessive amounts of listeria bacteria in Sjógæti’s products. The reason these tests were conducted was that some of the inspected products were due to be exported to EU countries.

“We have been inspecting food production facilities across the country for a long time,” says Malan N. Mikkelsen, the head of the HFS food department.

“But most of our efforts have been centred on production for export. We will now be intensifying our inspection at facilities where fish products for domestic consumption are prepared.”

Listeria symptoms

Symptoms of listeria resemble those of the common flu, including fever, headache and in some cases stomach troubles.

People who have purchased the products mentioned in the links above are asked to either return them to the store where they bought them or throw them away.

Read the Faroese version of this article here

Translated by prosa.fo

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