The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) is in the process of forming a group within NFI to compile all of the science related to CO and filtered wood smoke treatments for seafood.
The US seafood trade association hopes to have the CO group formed in the next month, John Connelly, president of NFI, told IntraFish.
The move was prompted by seafood firms exploring the use of carbon monoxide, or CO, in their modified atmosphere packaged (MAP) products, Doug Brinsmade, president of Texas-based seafood importer HIROAD, told IntraFish. Brinsmade spent 15 years with Anova Food Group, which once marketed products under its patented Clearsmoke CO treatment process.
The use of CO in MAP products in the meat industry is Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS), and although the seafood industry is not directly asking the FDA to OK a broader use of CO, that, indirectly, could be the result.
The use of Tasteless Smoke, a form of CO treatment, was patented in the 1990s by Hawaii International Seafood (HIS), which used it to treat tuna. At the time, HIS specifically asked the FDA for a so-called Letter of No Objection, which in effect gave FDA’s blessing to the product’s GRAS status.
The use of CO to treat seafood is banned in the EU, Japan and Canada.
US law does not require companies to notify the FDA of a GRAS determination, but if the FDA does at some point decide to investigate a company’s claim an ingredient is safe, all of the science must be ready for FDA to examine.
"The use of CO and filtered wood smoke has been a good thing for our industry," said Brinsmade. "The science behind the use of CO is and has always been positive."
He said the meat industry is a step ahead of seafood because it has received GRAS status on a variety of applications since 2006.
"If the FDA would like the seafood industry to follow suit and apply for GRAS on CO and its use on seafood, then this could only benefit us in the long term, Brinsmade said.