The agri-food policies of every country in the world-now, at least in theory, focused on food security and nutritional security-do not yet seem to have given adequate attention to fishmeal for human consumption. Insight.
1) Food security and nutritional security. Foreword
‘Repurposing food and agricultural policy support to make healthy diets more affordable‘ is the mantra preached in the last three editions of the annual SOFI(State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World) report by FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP. SOFI 2022 reports that.
– at least 3.1 billion people in 2020 were unable to meet the costs of a healthy and nutritious diet, even though it is essential to human health and well-being (SDG 3),
– in 2021, an estimated 29.3 percent of the global population (2.3 billion people) had food security problems and 11.7 percent (923.7 million) had severe food access problems. (1)
2) Research and innovation
A key recommendation of UN agencies to governments to ‘rethink how to reallocate existing public budgets to make them more effective and efficient in reducing the cost of nutritious food. To increase the availability and affordability of healthy, sustainable diets, leaving no one behind‘. (SOFI 2022, Conclusions).
Research and innovation play a crucial role in fostering efficient use of limited resources. Indeed, the Horizon Europe 2021-2027 program has dedicated 8.952 billion euros to research and innovation on ‘food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and the environment.’ With interventions also focused on international cooperation, starting with Africa.
3) Circular economy, combating food waste, upcycling
Resource use efficiency must include secondary material flows, in a logic of circular economy and combating food waste as early as the stages prior to distribution (c.d. food loss).
Deriving protein and various nutrients from co-products of other supply chains is the big goal.
Upcycling
of plant materials into edible and nutritious mushrooms, sugar molasses into microalgae, organic waste into black soldier fly and other edible insects.
4) Fish supply chain, waste upcycling and fishmeal.
The #EcoeFISHent research project-which our team is participating in, in the Horizon Europe program-is dedicated to the recovery and upcycling of co-products and waste (e.g., skin, head, entrails) from the fish supply chain. (2) Which reach 60-70% of raw materials and are largely destined for waste, with a residual share for secondary production (e.g. aquaculture feed, pet food).
Fishmeal for food use, in addition to the many bioactive substances (e.g., oils, peptides, proteins, enzymes, minerals) that can be extracted with innovative technologies, is the first treasure trove of untapped potential. A recent Brazilian study (Rodrigues de Souza et al., 2022) evaluates some of its production processes and usefulness of use to enrich staple foods. (3)
5) Fishmeal as a functional ingredient
Consumers have shown increased interest in fish meat, mainly due to its high nutrient level, high protein content and fatty acid profiles (Tiwari et al., 2021). (4) Marine Omega-3s, EPA and DHA, perform crucial functions in the human body including reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (Fujii et al., 2021). (5) And that is why work is already being done on their extraction through upcycling of fish waste, including in the EcoeFISHent research project. (6)
However, fish consumption is still low–compared with those of poultry, pigs and cattle–despite the fact that global aquaculture production has doubled in the past 20 years (FAO, 2020), as noted. Its inclusion in a variety of ready-to-eat and easy-to-prepare foods, all the better if not subject to the cold chain, may be an attractive alternative to encourage its consumption and promote its increased use.
6) Processing processes, consumer acceptability, circular economy
Researchers of Maringá State University in Brazil (Rodrigues de Souza et al., 2022) experimented with four different processes for processing gutted carcasses of tilapia, tuna, sardines and salmon and their use, in different concentrations, in tapioca cookies (a gluten-free starch product derived from the cassava plant).
Tapioca snacks enriched with cooked tilapia carcass meal (9%) showed high protein content and and concentrations of linoleic, arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic fatty acids, as well as good sensory acceptance. Those prepared with fishmeal from other different fish species also received the highest purchase intention scores. (3)
7) EU Rules
The verification of the applicability of reg. EU 2015/2283 on Novel Food must always precede the placing of novel foods and their ingredients on the EU market. Fishmeal itself is a traditional food, as confirmed to us on 7.12.22 by the European Commission, Directorate General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).
‘The fact that fishmeal is not mentioned in Regulation 853/2004 does not mean that its use for human consumption is prohibited.
The rules applicable to the production of fish oil for human consumption set out in Annex III, Section VIII, Chapter IV.B of Reg. EU 853/04 should be applied mutatis mutandis to the production of fishmeal for human consumption.
In particular, the raw material must be fit for human consumption and the fishmeal for human consumption must be produced in an establishment approved in accordance with Article 4.2 of the said Regulation‘.
8) Interim Conclusions.
Previous studies have tested the effectiveness of adding fishmeal to a variety of staple foods characteristic of local traditions. Soups and broths, breads and pizzas, pasta and lasagna, sago noodles (7.8). In both aspects of improving their nutritional profiles-with enrichment in protein, Omega 3 and micronutrients, as well as reducing the glycemic index in baked goods-and consumer acceptance.
The inclusion of fishmeal can make it possible to make healthy and nutritious foods at affordable costs with pleasant sensory properties. And at the same time add value to fishery waste, with significant increase in resource use efficiency. Research should now come geared toward the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions that can be applied to small plants as well, in the form of open innovation.
#sdg1, End poverty. #SDG2, Zero hunger. #SDG3, Good health and well-being. #SDG10, Reduced inequalities. #SDG12, Sustainable production and consumption. #SDG13, Climate change. #SDG14, Life below water.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO (2022). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022. Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0639en
(2) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. EcoeFISHent, upcycling and blue economy in the fish supply chain. The EU research project. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 18.10.21
(3) Maria Luiza Rodrigues de Souza, Eliane Gasparino, Elenice Souza dos Reis Goes, Melina Franco Coradini, Vivian Izabel Vieira, Gislaine Gonçalves Oliveira, Marcos Antônio Matiucci, Ana Carolina Valente Junqueira de Castro, Simone Siemer, Vitória Regina Takeuchi Fernandes, Andresa Carla Feihrmann. (2022). Fish carcass flours from different species and their incorporation in tapioca cookies. Future Foods, Volume 5, 2022, 100132.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2022.100132
(4) M. Tiwari, M.S. Barooah, P. Sharma, P.L. Bordoloi, I.A. Hussain, A.M Ahmed (2021). Physico-chemical characteristics of fish flour prepared from locally available small indigenous fish species of Assam. J. Food Process. Preserv. In press. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.15704
(5) R. Fujii, H. Yamada, E. Munetsuna, M. Yamazaki, G. Mizuno, Y. Ando, K. Suzuki (2021). Dietary fish and ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with leukocyte ABCA1 DNA methylation levels. Nutrition, Volume 81, 2021, 110951. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2020.110951
(6) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Upcycling. Omega-3s from the waste of the fish supply chain. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 29.10.21
(7) See bibliography cited in Rodrigues de Souza et al., 2022 (footnote 3).
(8) Suparmi S, Sumarto S, Afriana U, Hidayat T. (2022). Utilization of Biang Fish Flour (Ilisha elongata) as an Enrichment Material for Sago Noodles Nutrient Value. Int J Biomater. doi: 10.1155/2022/8746296
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
