The European Commission (EC) is drawing attention to the use of cultivated vegetable extracts containing high concentrations of nitrates and nitrites to enhance the color of tuna and its appearance. The fish industry, in its commitment to the fight against food fraud, reported the findings to the EC.
According to a press release, nitrites are not authorized for use in tuna. Furthermore, the addition of nitrites via the vegetable extract does not comply with the specifications for nitrites laid down in Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012. Fishing industry specialists say that te use of nitrites not only deceives costumers regarding the tuna’s color, but also masks the amounts of histamines present in the product.
“The products look fresh and of high quality but in reality may contain high amounts of histamines which can cause strong allergenic reactions. Financial gain is clearly the motive, given that it is estimated that five million tuna portions per week are treated this way (approximately 500 tons), involving a potential gain of approx. EUR200m per year,” according to the press release.
Philippe Loopuyt, head of Unit Alerts, Traceability and Committees at European Commission said: “The Commission considers this issue as a high priority. We have already raised the awareness of the Member States’ competent authorities to this alarming practice and would be grateful if you could urge your members to take action to put a stop to these activities in order to avoid a new major food fraud crisis.”
