The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has officially launched the PNG Standards for Fish and Fishery products food safety.
Under the Fisheries Act 1998, the amended roles and responsibility of the PNG National Fisheries Authority is to manage, control and regulate all PNG’s fisheries resources with the provision of regulating and providing quality and safety standards for the capture, storing, transporting and processing of fish and fishery products for domestic consumption and for export.
Managing Director of NFA, John Kasu, said the launching of the standards is a culmination of numerous consultations and conversations that have greatly contributed to and shaped this ‘standard’, since embarking on the review in 2017.
“Today is an opportunity to launch and recognise a legal instrument that paves the way forward for us in ensuring that we are adhering to world’s best standards and practice in maintaining resource security, sustainability and safety standards,” Kasu stated.
“NFA endeavours to encourage, promote and maintain quality control, resource sustainability, technological advancement, knowledge transfer and greater participation at all levels of industry in the sector, which is critically fundamental for the industries continuing growth and long term viability in Papua New Guinea.”
The development of the fish and fishery products food safety standard came about when RD Tuna Canners Ltd in Madang Province showed interest to enter the most stringent market, which is the EU Market in the late 1990s to export its canned tuna products.
NFA, in its plight to ensure market access into the EU, established the Audit and Certification Unit in 2000 which is responsible for the development and maintenance of framework and protocol to provide official guarantee relating to food safety and public health for fish and fishery product placed on the market.
The PNG Standard for Fish and Fishery Product 2019 now has a well-defined structure for more clarification in its implementation for the NFA, the industries and relevant government agencies.
The launching of the PNG Standards for Fish and Fishery Product 2019 has been gazetted through the National Institute of Standards & Industrial Technology process and ready to be used by relevant stakeholders.