FDA's Statement on "Seafood Choices" Report
by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) welcomes the report "Seafood Choices", released today by an expert Committee on Nutrient Relationships in Seafood of the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (the NAS report). FDA is in the process of reviewing the report, but can offer the following comments.

• The report, prepared at the request of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States Department of Commerce (DOC), explores the risks and benefits of the consumption of ocean species of seafood, and recommends measures for helping consumers make informed choices about this important part of the American diet.
• Seafood safety has been an important part of FDA's food safety program for many years. In the 1990's FDA pioneered the application of the science-based system known as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point ("HACCP") to prevent or reduce the occurrence of seafood-borne hazards. That system is now the regulatory norm for seafood worldwide. The report takes note of our HACCP system and its success in controlling seafood-borne illnesses.
• The potential beneficial health effects from eating fish have been the subject of considerable research in recent years.
• FDA has launched several initiatives recently that parallel a number of the recommendations of the NAS report.
• FDA and EPA issued a joint consumer advisory on methylmercury in 2004. Through this advisory, FDA has been offering consumption advice to women of childbearing age and young children in order to minimize risk from methylmercury in seafood products. The advisory counsels women and young children to continue to eat seafood in order to take advantage of its nutritional qualities, while providing guidance on how much of certain types of seafood to eat to reduce potential exposure to methylmercury.
• FDA's outreach includes over 9,000 media outlets, including those that specialize in reaching women. In addition, information about the advisory has been sent to over 50 health care provider organizations.
• FDA is completing an assessment for methylmercury that is attempting to quantify risk through the range of exposures being experienced by U.S. seafood consumers, as recommended in the NAS report. It is also examining potential beneficial health effects from eating fish.
• FDA is conducting surveys of pregnant women, nursing mothers, mothers of young children, and other adults. These surveys explore consumers' awareness of methyl mercury in fish, changes in the amount of fish the public consumes, and reasons behind those changes. FDA is also surveying health professionals and educators to determine what advice they are giving to pregnant women about fish consumption.

Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

March 2004 Advisory (FDA and EPA): What You Need to Know About Mercury in Fish and Shellfish