Strengthening Safety Management of Shellfish Toxins in Spring Seafood... Expansion of Survey Locations and Frequency

Shellfish toxin survey points by production area.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 4th that from March to June, they will strengthen the collection inspections of seafood such as mussels, clams, and sea squirts, as well as safety investigations of areas at risk of shellfish toxin occurrence, to ensure the safety management of shellfish toxins in spring seafood.

Shellfish toxins are toxins found in shellfish that feed on toxic plankton in the sea. If ingested by humans, they can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle paralysis, and other risks.

Shellfish toxins mainly begin to occur from March, centered around the southern coast, and then spread to the east and west coasts. They peak when seawater temperature is between 15 and 17℃, and naturally disappear around mid-June when the temperature rises above 18℃.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will expand the survey points in production areas from 50 to 102 during the same period and increase the survey frequency from once a month to once or twice a week to conduct safety investigations. If the allowable standards are exceeded, shellfish harvesting will be prohibited in the affected areas, strengthening shellfish toxin management from the production stage.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety will conduct collection inspections of shellfish and tunicates distributed domestically together with 17 local governments from March to June to manage shellfish toxin safety in spring seafood. If the allowable standards are exceeded, measures such as banning distribution and sales, recall, and disposal of the affected seafood will be taken.

Detailed information such as the occurrence status of shellfish toxins by sea area and inspection results by item can be found on the Food Safety Korea website and others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.