As many as 323 fi shery products from Indonesia have been internationally certifi ed in compliance with Codex Alimentarius, the highest international food standard, assuring products are safe for human consumption.
This proved the country’s commitment, as a major fi sh exporter, to improve the quality of its fi shery products so they could be more widely accepted and safely consumed in importing countries worldwide, secretary-general of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Gellwynn Jusuf, said on Monday.
The global market has shifted its paradigm from only fulfi lling food needs to ensuring fair trade and safe consumption, and we have to cope with this. Therefore, we should continue to improve our quality and safety, as well as managing risks from hazards and contamination during processing, he said on the sidelines of the Codex Alimentarius committee meeting on fi sh and fi shery products in Kuta.
The ministry recorded exports of fi shery products last year as amounting to US$3.5 billion, an increase of 23 percent from the $2.8 billion in 2010.
The largest export markets for the country are the US valued at $1.13 billion, followed by Japan at $806 million and European countries at $460 million.
During the fi rst semester of this year, exports reached $1.9 billion, an increase of 17.92 percent compared to the same period last year. This shows that our products have higher competitiveness, Gellwyn said, adding that the ministry was targeting $4.2 billion in exports this year.
Indonesia is also attempting to penetrate new export markets, including South Africa for tinned sardines. The country also aims at building synergy with Spain and Portugugal to produce canned tuna.
To ensure food safety and fair practice in trade worldwide, the UN’s FAO and WHO established the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which is tasked with managing food standards. To develop these international food standards, Codex established several committees, including the committee for seafood.
This is the seafood committee meeting, held every 18 months to develop standards in seafood trade, with Indonesia being the host for the fi rst time. It takes years to develop and fi nalize international food standards because we need active participation from each country, Gellwyn said.
Bjorn Knudtsen, head delegate for Norway which has hosted previous meetings, said that 175 delegates from 57 countries had discussed several crucial matters related to fi shery, including standards for smoked fi sh and scallops, and food additives in seafood.
Another highlighted topic is biotoxins, which accumulate in fi sh and can cause disease in humans. In the seafood trade, biotoxin risks should also be considered to ensure safe consumption by humans, he said.
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