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During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic global expansion in fish farming, with both positive and negative consequences. Although commercial aquaculture has contributed positively to the economies of many producing countries, there are considerable negative environmental and social impacts. In intensive and semi‐intensive systems, artificial feeds supplemented with antibiotics are used to prevent the spread of disease and to improve feed conversion ratios. Current knowledge of the health and environmental impact of antibiotics used in aquaculture is poor, particularly in tropical regions. Residues may remain in fish used for human consumption and antibiotics released into the environment can lead to the development of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria in the food chain. The accumulation of waste feeds in ponds stimulates the growth of bacteria, including human pathogens, which can contaminate products and lead to foodborne disease and the rejection of products in export markets. In extensive systems, where fish are produced mainly for the domestic market, different food safety concerns exist. The consumption of aquatic plants and raw or partially cooked freshwater fish has been associated with foodborne trematode infections. These are a major public health problem in East and South East Asia and occur when products that are contaminated by the infective stages of the parasites are consumed. This paper reviews food safety hazards associated with products from aquaculture and proposes the application of principles of the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) system as a general strategy to control the hazards identified.

Our knowledge of diseases caused by biologically and chemically contaminated food varies considerably between developing countries. While in Latin America and the Caribbean some information regarding foodborne hazards, high-risk foods and the extent of any resulting disease is available, in many other developing countries little is known about the nature and extent of such diseases. Systematic foodborne surveillance activities, including epidemiological studies, are rarely undertaken. Public health authorities and the public frequently learn about the more dramatic disease outbreaks from news media. A good indication of the importance of food contamination for health and well-being is the information available about infant diarrhoea, infant/child and adult malnutrition. Both conditions are closely related to contaminated food and drinking water, and are particularly important public health problems in most developing countries, as is cholera. With regard to chemicals, little information is available in developing countries on the occurrence of food contamination. Without such information, the health of hundreds of millions of people may be threatened. Improving the safety of the food supply and reducing foodborne diseases requires the concept of shared responsibility to be adopted. All of society needs to accept that food is not only an agricultural and trade commodity but a public health issue. Consequently, Ministries of Health in all countries must integrate food safety as an essential public health function into their work.

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