Molluscan Shellfish Safety in South America

Abstract

Molluscan shellfish safety constitutes a major issue for South American countries in the context of shellfish fishery products. It represents a challenge for exporting countries whose commodities have to comply with market requirements. Latin American countries which export shellfish products to the European Union (EU) as the main market are audited by Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) missions in order to verify that their control systems are reliable and equivalent with the EU regulation. Nevertheless, these countries are in different stages of implementation of molluscan safety management in order to fulfill these regulations, which affect exports to EU destinations. Argentina has been monitoring biotoxins in shellfish since 1980, and in 2006 began sanitary classification of harvesting areas. Currently, only the adductor muscle of frozen on board scallops, free of gonads and viscera, is exported to the EU. No other bivalves are marketed, frozen or live, from Argentina to the EU. In 1989, Chile implemented the National Shellfish Sanitation Program to control the export of bivalve molluscs, which includes controls for the monitoring and harvesting in the production areas along its coast. Nowadays, Chile exports frozen molluscs and chilled eviscerated scallops to the European market. However, EU Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General (DG SANCO) is in the process of authorizing the exportation of live bivalve molluscs. Uruguay implemented a coastal monitoring program in 1980 for molluscs for domestic consumption and a control program for the exportation of wild clams. Clams can be exported to the EU market either frozen or live. The objective of this work is to describe the current status of some of these countries with reference to the safety control of molluscs exported to the EU.