Domestic fish for more versatile and safer consumption (EU-Fish IV)

Project ends 30.9.2024

Domestic fish and fish products must be safe and of a high quality if we want to increase the consumption of fish. Increased use of fish would have many positive effects and the Finnish domestic fish promotion programme lead by the Ministry of Forestry and Agriculture is aimed at increasing the supply of domestic fish.

The EU-Fish IV project examines the concentrations of substances harmful to health as well as those beneficial to health in domestic fish and fish products. Concentrations of harmful substances have previously been examined in the EU-Fish (2004), EU-Fish II (2011) and EU-Fish III (2018) projects and in the KALAKAS and TUKALA projects.

There is currently too little information on the concentrations of harmful and beneficial substances in little-used fish species to assess the safety of their increasing consumption, and more information is also needed on the current concentrations in other fish species to support, for example, assessing the need for the dioxin exemption set for fish from the Baltic Sea.

The concentrations of many of the environmental toxins in Finnish fish have declined dramatically since the first years of the 2000s but, on the other hand, the European Food Safety Authority EFSA has in the past few years tightened the tolerable weekly intake levels for the dioxins, PCBs and PFAS contained in foods. In the next few years, the European Commission will update the maximum levels of dioxins and PCBs allowed in fish and fishery products. New maximum limits are also being prepared up for PFAS, brominated flame retardants and mercury.

The objectives of the EU-Fish IV project are:

  1. Determining the concentrations in fish in Finland’s marine areas and inland waters and in products in the fish value chain. The compounds examined are dioxins and PCBs, PFAS, brominated diphenyl ethers, hexabromocyclododecane, mercury, inorganic arsenic, vitamin D and fatty acids EPA and DHA.
  2. Monitoring and assessment of the state of Finland’s marine and inland water environment and fish stocks
  3. Checking that the instructions for safe fish consumption are up to date, i.e., assessing the safe levels for consumption per fish species on the basis of the latest data on concentrations.
  4. Comparison of risks and benefits of the consumption of fish and fish products
  5. Communication that benefits the authorities, actors and citizens and using the project results as material for future studies and the work of the authorities, for example, to support the Finnish domestic fish promotion programme and as background information for legislative work in the EU.

The project results and publications will be linked to this page. The hashtags in the social media are #EuKalat4 and #EuFish4.

Schedule

2022-2024

Project group

Finnish Food Authority:

  • Johanna Suomi (PI of project), Antti Mikkelä, Liisa Uusitalo, Tiina Ritvanen, Marjo Pulkkinen, Janne Järvinen, Annikki Welling

Finnish Environment Institute

  • Ville Junttila

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare THL:

  • Panu Rantakokko, Jani Koponen, Riikka Airaksinen, Päivi Ruokojärvi, Eva Kumar, Jani Koponen, Merja Häkkinen

Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke):

  • Jari Raitaniemi, Timo Myllylä, Heidi Leskinen, Sari Mäkinen, Taina Jalava, Jukka Ruuhijärvi, Juha-Matti Pihlava, Tapio Keskinen, Jari Setälä, Velimatti Leinonen, Pekka Jounela, Katja Kulo

Funding

The Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities

Publications and news about the project

More information

Johanna Suomi, Risk assessment unit (johanna.suomi@ruokavirasto.fi)

Page last updated 9/26/2024