December 2017 marks the 20^th anniversary of the implementation of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s seafood HACCP regulation (procedures for safe and sanitary processing and importing of fish and fishery products).  This symposium will look back at the conditions that prompted this historic change in food safety regulation and assess the impact it has had on the seafood industry, food safety overall, and implementation of subsequent HACCP rules. Although foodborne outbreaks due to seafood have significantly decreased in the U.S. since 2005, Vibrio illnesses and harmful algal blooms (HABs) appear to be increasing and, geographically, expanding.  Are these increases the result of climate change, and can HACCP evolve to meet these challenges?  Does the seafood industry need new detection and control methods to supplement HACCP?  Whether accidental or deliberate, species substitution continues to be a problem, resulting in economic fraud and potentially endangering the health and welfare of seafood consumers through introduction of toxic species and/or allergens.  As our global seafood supply progressively relies on aquaculture, antibiotic drug residues can pose long-term health risks, if improperly used.  Now that the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) is being phased in, how will it affect the seafood industry?  HACCP guidance and interpretations are changing to address these and other emerging issues.  In this symposium, we will hear from industry representatives, regulators, and others about the current state of seafood safety.  We will celebrate the successful marriage of HACCP and seafood; but, we will, also, take a critical look at hazards and problems that may require at least partial reliance on additional methods or tools to enhance seafood safety in the future.

Presentations