The contamination of fish in our markets

Not all that glitters is gold, they say. Can you imagine the feeling when suddenly you get to know that the fish you have been eating may be dangerous to your health? So, when I saw that brown-smoked shiny fish in the market which seems to be telling me, “I am the best of this lot”, I wondered, is it what it seems? What is beneath that glittering surface?

Do you care about the fish you eat? But, is there anything at all about the fish you eat that you should care about? If I were asked some months back, my answer would have been, “Fish is fish and it’s okay as long as it tastes good”. But now I know better.

In Ghana’s markets, you are sure to find fish; a cheap high-quality protein. Fishes in various sizes and from marine and inland waters. From, fresh fish to dried, fried, salted, and smoked. Smoking is the major form of fish processing in Ghana. Hence, the abundance of smoked fish in the markets.

However, it is not enough to just buy fish but ensure you buy a good and healthy one. Fish, especially marine fish, is rich in important nutrients that we need to grow well, like iron, calcium, sodium, vitamins A and D, and more. Calcium helps develop strong bones and teeth, iron is vital for oxygen transport through the body, and vitamin A is needed for reproduction and a strong immune system.

Yet, fish which is supposed to provide nutrients for healthy growth can become dangerous to humans if not handled well. In this case, the focus is on the processed fish; fried, dried, salted, or smoked. Some of these fishes get contaminated during processing which makes them unhealthy for consumption and how they are handled after processing also contributes to the contamination.

The water used to wash the fish, what was used to smoke it and where it was smoked, where it was dried and kept are all issues you must care about because they can make the fish unhealthy. Smoked fish in Ghana per reports from USAID and others, is said to be highly contaminated due to various factors.

European Union (EU), the most sensitive market for fish exports, understands the dangers of unhealthy fish.

Thus, the EU has strict regulations and standards that determine the processed fish that could be exported into their markets. Per European Commission standards, 1 kilogram of fish should not have more than 12 micrograms (12µg) of certain cancer-causing substances (carcinogens/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs).

This means that when 1 kilogram of fish is divided into a million parts, the carcinogens in the fish should be about 12th of a million or less. According to European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), this amount of carcinogens is what the human system can deal with.

In Ghana, Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) is responsible for ensuring that processed fish to be exported to the EU meets this standard. However, Ghana Standards Authority does not have any regulations or standards to check the processed fish that enters Ghana’s markets. While GSA is gatekeeping for the EU, Ghana’s markets are left open for both the healthy and unhealthy fish to enter.

As to why there are no regulations yet, “We’ve been looking for a country which has set their PAH levels so that we could benchmark it against but we haven’t yet found one” said Mrs. Jessica Nkansah, Ag. Director, Inspectorate Division of GSA.

“The Standards Directorate is aware of the fact that we need to have a limit for PAH but we are waiting for data,” she added.

Meanwhile, studies have shown that on average, there are about 418µg of carcinogens per kilogram in some smoked fish in Ghana’s markets. This is about 35 times the number of cancer-causing substances the human body can tolerate. Yet, there are no standards to regulate the local markets.

Some have devised ways to check if smoked fish is good and healthy or not. They say, “If you see a good smoked fish, you would know. It has smooth and shiny skin and is soft.” Sadly, these cancer-causing substances cannot be seen with the naked eye; they are beyond the eyes. Hence, buying fish in Ghana’s local markets is a gamble. Your fish could be healthy or contaminated.

There was the introduction of improved ovens like the ahotor and FTT ovens for smoking. These ovens were said to reduce the level of contamination of smoked fish but not many fish processors are using them. Why so?

Because smoked fish from these ovens look pale and not like the brown or dark smoked fish Ghanaians know. While GSA is now drafting policies to regulate processed fish in the local markets, other institutions have introduced programs to help improve the situation in the country.

In February this year, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MOFAD) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), introduced the Safe Fish Licensing and Certification Scheme to regulate and ensure the production of safe and healthy seafood.

The scheme is voluntary and thus the number of fish processors on it is very low; out of about a thousand fish processors in the country, only a little over 100 are on the scheme.

Under the scheme, fish processors and sellers are trained in sanitary and hygienic fish handling practices to reduce the contamination of fish in the markets. Those who meet the sanitary and hygienic requirements of the scheme are certified by GSA or FDA and enabled to sell locally and export as well.

Now, you have a choice. Look for the fish sellers with the certificates or name tags if you want to buy fish because theirs’ is evaluated to be healthy by Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and GSA. Also, fish processors should enroll in the scheme and MOFAD and its partners must enhance and intensify awareness creation.

Hopefully, soon, buying processed fish would no more be like sports betting. Care about the fish you eat. I do not know if contamination in processed fish would ever stop but I know that if it would, then it is because you care about the fish you eat.