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We have allocated considerable space to the topic of food safety in this issue. Food safety has been a topic of interest to the feed industry for a few decades now. The last time the topic came on the radar screen of feed manufacturers was when Salmonella contamination in feeds was considered a significant food safety factor. As the industry was responding the problem, came a deluge of issues – the mad cow disease, dioxins and PCBs, GMO ingredients – that forever altered the scale of feed industry’s responsibility in ensuring food safety.

Providing an overview of food safety issues from a feed manufacturer’s perspective, Mr. Mike Laughlin, explains how advancements in science and technology are contributing to the heightened human sensitivity to food safety. It is clear that food safety is no longer a simple issue. People are not only concerned about whether they are going to fall sick after a meal, but also whether they are going to get cancer years from now because of what they eat today.

The complexity of food safety concerns is made even more challenging in the light of limited science and lack of standards. Delivering the invited lecture at the recent International Symposium on Nutrition and Feeding in Fish, Dr. Sadasivam Kaushik, pointed out the lack of reliable yardsticks for food safety. Citing the controversial study by Hites et al., he said that the authors, using contaminant standards by the US-EPA, recommended restricting dietary intake of farmed salmon to one portion per month. Had the standards of the WHO been followed, the recommendation would have been far less restricted at a minimum of two portions per week! Several scientists have questioned the rationality of recommending restrictions on eating fish based on unproven risk of cancer due to contaminants, while the positive health benefits of fish in human diet have been firmly established.

However complex the issue of food safety is, participants in the food chain are required to immediately address consumers’ concerns. Lack of consumer confidence in food safety has led to disastrous economic consequences in the food industry, and affected farmers and feed manufacturers alike. The European Union is already taking steps to restore its consumers’ confidence in animal products and issuing directives that have implications for feed manufacturers within and outside the EU. Dr. Peter Coutteau and Ms. Ann Van Hauwaert from Belgium provide exposure to emerging feed safety guidelines in the EU.

The issue is packed with a number of articles on shrimp, which would appeal to our readers in Asia and Latin America. Shrimp farmers are facing unprecedented market uncertainties this year. They are coming to the realization that lowering costs and improving efficiencies of production will be critical to future survival. Cost of feeds is already under close scrutiny. Shrimp feed manufacturers need to take a close look at their costs. We hope the articles will be of use to them.

Victor Suresh
victor@feedware.com