Anisakis notification in fish: An assessment of the cases reported in the European Union rapid alert system for food and feed (RASFF) database

Abstract

The presence of Anisakis spp. in fishery products are of enormous relevance to consumers, food security authorities and the fishing and food industries, because of the associated disease and possible loss of commercial value. Moreover, due to the great increase in the consumption of raw or undercooked fish, this study evaluated the notification of Anisakis reported on the RASFF portal from 1979 to 2019. The results show that although the first notification to Anisakis appeared in 2001, the highest number of cases occurred between 2011 and 2019. The 546 notifications to Anisakis were carried out by 13 different European Union countries. Italy, in addition to report the largest number of cases, was the only country to report every year. The higher notifications cases are for Spanish products. The main notified fish were: Mackerel, Hake and Anglerfish. The main type of notification was “border rejection” (25.28%), followed by “alert” (23.81%). Most of the “notification bases”, consisted of “official control on the market” (56.78%). The main measures taken for Anisakis' notifications were “destruction” (27.5%) and “withdrawal from the market” (17.8%). As for the distribution status, it was observed that the majority was “no distribution” (22.71%) or “distribution on the market possible” (21.06%). Regarding the risk decision, the vast majority of cases were considered “undecided”. Despite presenting some gaps, the RASFF portal represents a useful tool in obtaining information on trends in notification of Anisakis occurring in fish. The significant increase in notifications to Anisakis in recent years, reinforces the need for a standardization of the methodologies for detecting parasites, using more modern techniques. Consumers play an important role in the fishing chain, and it is necessary to promote continuing education, so that citizens can become an active part in the management of the risks related to fish intake associated with Anisakis larvae.