January 30, 2008

Norway's fish processing industry gets warning

Fisheries minister Helga Pedersen warns the Norwegian fish processing industry that its plants must meet the strict standards of hygiene.

According to The Norway Post, this follows a fresh report from Russian fisheries inspectors as they again criticise conditions at several Norwegian fish processing plants. These reports form the basis for the authorities' decision on which firms will be allowed to export fish to Russia.
 

Roald Vaage of the Norwegian Food Safety Inspectorate said he had to agree with the criticisms in part as the criticised conditions is a breach of both Russian and Norwegian regulations, but added that not all are serious.

Pedersen said her general impression is that the industry is taking the hygiene demands seriously but the reports show that the Food Safety Inspectorate must be more aggressive.

She told NRK, a Norwegian broadcaster, that there is nothing wrong with the regulations and the responsibility for proper hygiene lies with the industry.