Q: What guidance does FDA have for manufacturers of Canned Fish?


 A: Canned fish generally are "low-acid canned foods" and packers are therefore subject to the registration requirements.

Failure to declare the presence of added salt or the kinds of oil used as the packing medium in canned fish has resulted in the detention of fish products. If permitted artificial colors or chemical preservatives are used, their presence must be conspicuously declared in the labeling. Artificial coloring is not permitted if it conceals damage or inferiority or if it makes the product appear better or of greater value than it is.(See required label statements.)

The packing of canned fish and fish products with excessive amounts of packing medium has resulted in many detentions. If the fish are in a packing medium such as anchovies in oil, the container should be as full as possible of fish with the minimum amount of oil. The fact that the oil may be equal in value or even more expensive than the fish does not affect this principle. Canned lobster paste and similar products have been encountered which were deceptively packaged because of excessive headspace, i.e., excessive space between the lid of the can and the surface of the food in the can.

Canned Pacific Salmon is required to comply with standards of identity and fill-of-container. The standards establish the species and names required on labels and the permitted styles of pack, including minimum net weights of fill for various container sizes (21 CFR 161.170).

Anchovies- Products represented as anchovies should consist of fish of the family Engraulidae. Other small fish, such as small herring and herring-like fish which may superficially resemble anchovies, cannot properly be labeled as anchovies. The product should be prepared from sound raw material and the salting or curing should be conducted in such a manner that spoilage does not occur.

Sardines- The term "sardines" is permitted in the labeling of the canned products prepared from small-size clupeid fish. The sea herring (Clupea harengus), the European pilchards (Sardina pilchardus), and the brisling or sprat (Sprattus spp.) are commonly packed in small-size cans and labeled as sardines. The terms "brisling sardines" and "sild sardines" are permissible in the labeling of canned small brisling and herring, respectively. Large-size herring cannot be labeled sardines. These canned products must be free from all forms of decomposition such as "feedy," "belly-blown" fish and must be adequately processed to prevent active spoilage by microorganisms. Fish are called "feedy fish" when their stomachs are filled with feed at the time the fish are taken from the water. Such fish deteriorate rapidly until the viscera and thin belly wall disintegrate producing a characteristic ragged appearance called "belly-blown."

Tuna- A standard of identity defines the species of fish that may be canned under the name tuna (21 CFR 161.190(a)). There is also a standard for fill-of-container of canned tuna (21 CFR 161.190(c)). The standards provide for various styles of pack, including solid pack, chunk or chunk style, flakes, and grated tuna. Provision is also made for various types of packing media, certain specified seasonings and flavorings, color designations, and methods for determining fill-of-containers.

The standard of fill-of-container for canned tuna specifies minimum values for weights of the pressed cake of canned tuna depending on the form of the tuna ingredient and the can size.

The canned fish Sarda chilienis, commonly known as the bonito or bonita may not be labeled as tuna because it is not a true tuna but must be labeled as "bonito" or "bonita." The fish Seriola lalandei, commonly known as "yellowtail," must be labeled as "yellowtail" and may not be designated as tuna.


-Access the Code of Federal Regulations for the provisions mentioned above.
-For additional information see Information Materials for the Food and Cosmetics Industries.

 

Source: Excerpted from Requirements of Laws and Regulations Enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (1997).

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