Most of the fish most commonly farmed and consumed in the EU/EFTA show no trace of parasites likely to infect humans. However, parasites have been detected in certain farmed species and further data will be needed to determine the extent to which they are present in farmed fish: these are the main conclusions of a scientific opinion published on Thursday 18 April by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Most farmed fish species are free from zoonotic parasite infections: Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, gilthead seabream, turbot, meagre, Atlantic halibut, carp and European catfish. However, some parasites such as Anisakis have been detected in European seabass, Atlantic bluefin tuna and/or cod and tench produced in open offshore cages or flow-through ponds. Fish produced in closed recirculating aquaculture systems are almost certainly free from zoonotic parasites.
The experts also evaluated new methods for detecting zoonotic parasites in fish. These include UV-scanning, optical, molecular and OMIC methods.
Details: https://aeur.eu/f/bu7 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)