C o u n try P a p e r — Lao P .D .R . | 5 5
improvement of processing and marketing of fisheries product at other piers. Responsible official authorities should look into this matter, otherwise fish processing will slowly diminish. The people in the area will then have less chance of generating income through these activities. More smuggling of fish and fisheries products through other fishing boats piers may be encouraged.
This will affect the collection statistics of fish caught in the reservoir as well.
56 |Application of HACCP in the Fish Processing Industry in Southeast Asia
habit of eating raw or undercooked seafood pose as a big problem, especially in endemic countries of fish- borne trematode disease like China, Thailand (Northeast), Lao PDR (Southern province), Cambodia and Vietnam (North and Central).
In Lao PDR, special interest is paid to these products like the "Koipa" (raw fish in spicy salad) or Pa Dek, Pa Som (salted semi-fermented fish).
3. Safety assurance
Traditionally, fish processors have regarded safety assurance or quality assurance as the responsibility of the Government agencies and the means used by these agencies have been the formulation of food laws and regulations, inspection of facilities and processes and final products testing.
In contrast to the principles in traditional quality programmes relying heavily on quality control of end products, a preventive strategy based on a thorough study of prevailing conditions is much more likely to provide a better guarantee of quality and safety even at a reduced cost.
The need for an effective safety assurance system is increasing. Quality assurance is the modern term for describing the control, evaluation and auditing of food processing systems. The primary function is to provide confidence, for both the management and then the ultimate customers that the company is supplying products to. Such a strategy was first introduced by microbiologists more than 20 years ago to increase the
safety of food products and is named the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems.
The main elements of HACCP systems are:
1. Identify potential hazards, assess the risk (likelihood), of occurrence.
2. Determine the critical control point (CCPs) to determine the steps that can be controlled to eliminate or minimize the hazard.
3. Establish the criteria (tolerances, target level) that must be met to ensure that a CCP is under control.
4. Establish a monitoring system.
5. Establish the corrective action when CCP is not under control.
6. Establish procedure for verification.
7. Establish documentation and record keeping.
4. Define and implement the HACCP system HACCP can be defined and implemented at aquaculture areas and processing areas as parasite hazards are different between these two areas.
A multidisciplinary "HACCP Team" including experts in public health, phraseology, epidemiology, aquaculture, fisheries biology, fisheries extension, fisheries inspection carries out the work to design a HACCP based quality assurance programme.
HACCP work plan of the aquaculture areas to give final products of "clean fish "or fish free from Opisthorchis infection. There are 4 critical control points that must be under controlled:
S/N Affected Source Hazards Control
1. Water Quality • Presence of Opisthorchis eggs as a result of human and/or animal faecal contamination.
• Presence of fish infected with Opisthorchis metacercariae.
• Presence of infected or non- infected fish host snails (Bithinia and Melania sp.), with Opisthorchis sporecysts.
• Dry well the ponds for several days (2 days) and treat the • ponds with chemicals such as
calcium oxide,
• Rainwater used to refill the fish pond (the water must be free from parasite eggs, snails and infected fish)
2. Fish fry • Fish fry infected with Opisthorchis metacercaria
• Check that fish fry are free from parasite infection before releasing. May be taken from non-endemic areas.
3. Fish feeds • Presence of Opisthorchis eggs as a result of human and/or animal faecal contamination.
• Use fishmeal pellets which has been checked and are free from parasite eggs.
• The use of animal or human faeces for feeding is prohibited.
C o u n try P a p e r — Lao P .D .R . | 57
S /N A f f e c t e d S o u rc e H a z a r d s C o n tr o l
4. F is h p o n d s ' c o n d itio n s • T h e c o n ta m in a t io n o f fis h p o n d w a te r w it h O p i s t h o r c h i s e g g s fr o m h u m a n a n d / o r a n im a l s o u rc e s as w e ll as in v a s io n o f th e fis h p o n d s b y in fe c te d s n a ils .
• T h e fis h p o n d s m u s t b e is o la te d fr o m s o u rc e s o f c o n ta m in a t io n su ch as la trin e , p ig - p e n , c a t, d o g , a n d d ra in a g e b y
e s ta b lis h in g a fe n c e a r o u n d th e fis h p o n d s .
• Faeces a re c o lle c te d f r o m th e fis h fa r m s a n d its f a m ily m e m b e rs . T h e y m u s t b e fre e fr o m O p i s t h o r c h i s in fe c tio n . Basic e d u c a tio n a b o u t h y g ie n e is p r o v id e d to e v e ry o n e in th e fa m ily .
• A r e g u la r v is u a l m o n it o r in g in s p e c tio n w ill b e d o n e e v e ry d a y to c h e c k f o r a n y
a b n o r m a lity . A q u a tic w e e d s o v e r g r o w th o n th e e x p e r im e n ta l p o n d s b a n k is c o n s ta n tly re m o v e d s in c e le a ve s ca n se rve as th e b e s t b r e e d in g p la c e fo r in te r m e d ia te s n a ils hosts.
■ F u tu re P o s t-h a r v e s t A c t iv it ie s
Team L e a d e r a n d E x p e rt in fis h -b o r n e p a ra s ite /fo o d s a fe ty (D r. P a ib o o n S ith ith a w o r n ) h a ve d is c u s s e d w it h C h ie f T e c h n ic a l A d v is o r (CTA) o f th e N a tio n a l A q u a tic R esources In s t it u te (N A R I) p r o je c t, M r . Sten S v e rd ru p J e n s e n , a b o u t p o s t-h a rv e s t t e c h n o lo g y a c tiv itie s to b e in c lu d e d in th e s c o p e o f L iv in g A q u a t ic R e s o u rc e s R e s e a rc h I n s t it u t e (L A R R I). T h e c o n s u lt a n t s w e re in fo r m e d th a t a lth o u g h such a c tiv itie s a re c o n s id e r e d to b e im p o r t a n t a re a s fo r in c lu s io n in th e s c o p e a n d m a n d a te o f LAR R I, th e DLF d o e s n o t e x p e c t re s e a rc h a c tiv itie s w it h in th e s e s u b je c t are a s to b e in it ia t e d fr o m th e o n s e t. I n it ia lly , it w o u ld b e a p p r o p r ia te to m a in ta in th e s e are a s o n an a w a re n e s s le v e l t h a t is m o n it o r in g d e v e lo p m e n t o u ts id e LA R R I. In th e n e a r fu t u r e , LARRI w i l l b e t r a n s f e r r e d t o o p e r a t e u n d e r t h e N a t io n a l A g r ic u lt u r e F o re s try R esearch In s t it u te (N A F R I), d ir e c t ly r e p o r t in g to M in is t r y o f A g r ic u lt u r e a n d F o re s try (M A F ), in s te a d o f DLF as o r ig in a lly p la n n e d . LARRI a c tiv itie s w i l l e m p h a s iz e o n r e s e a r c h a c t i v i t i e s o n a q u a t ic re s o u rc e s , re s e r v o ir fis h e r ie s m a n a g e m e n t , w e lla n d s , m a n a g e m e n t, a q u a c u ltu re a n d e s ta b lis h m e n t o f n a tio n a l fis h e rie s in f o r m a t io n a n d s ta tis tic s .
LARRI has o f 17 s ta ff in c lu d in g th e N a tio n a l P ro je c t D ir e c to r (N P D ). A ll s ta ff h a ve b e e n tr a n s fe r r e d fr o m FD D . S even te c h n ic a l s ta ff o f LARRI h a v e a c q u ir e d M Sc in F is h e rie s o r r e le v a n t are a s f r o m v a rio u s in te r n a t io n a l
a c a d e m ic in s titu te . T h e re a re a ls o fiv e BSc a n d f o u r D ip lo m a g ra d u a te s t h a t h a v e m a jo re d in F is h e rie s a n d C h e m is try , a n d a C e rtific a te g r a d u a te in b a s ic c o m p u te r.
H o w e v e r, t h e r e is n o s t a f f s p e c ia lis t in p o s t- h a r v e s t te c h n o lo g y .
A ft e r th e tr a n s fe r o f m a n y q u a lif ie d s ta ff to LARR I, t h e FD D c o n s is t o f 9 te c h n ic a l s t a f f , i n c lu d in g th e D ir e c to r a n d D e p u ty D ir e c to r o f FD D , a n d o n e N P D o f F A O /T C P /8 8 2 3 P ro je c t a n d 3 te c h n ic a l s ta ff in v o lv e d in th e F is h e rie s E x te n s io n P ro je c t Lao 9 7 / 0 0 7 , F A O /U N D P P r o je c t. A lm o s t a ll th e s ta f f w o r k in g a t F D D , h a v e a c q u ir e d a M S c a n d P o s tg ra d u a te D ip lo m a in F is h e rie s Sciences.
T h e F A O /T C P /8 8 2 3 P ro je c t has s e t a s id e s o m e b u d g e t f o r e q u ip m e n t p r o c u r e m e n t w it h a n a im to p r o m o te th e c o n tin u a t io n o f th e p r o je c t in te r m s o f re s e a rc h a n d e x t e n s io n o f p o s t- h a r v e s t t e c h n o lo g y im p r o v e m e n t a n d m a r k e t in g o f t r a d it io n a l fis h e r ie s p ro d u c ts as w e ll as th e c o n tr o l o f fo o d - b o r n e tre m a to d e s (F B T ). E x te n s iv e t r a i n i n g o n b a s ic p o s t - h a r v e s t t e c h n o lo g y as w e ll as p a ra s ite id e n t if ic a t io n m u s t b e g iv e n to th e p o te n t ia l s ta ff o f th e FDD , o r DLF w h ic h e v e r o ff ic e is d e te r m in e d to c a rr y o u t th e w o rk in th is f ie ld . FAO, u n d e r th e TCP p r o je c t m a y c o n tr ib u t e b y a llo c a tin g s o m e b u d g e t f o r su ch in te n s iv e tr a in in g ( m in im u m o f 3 m o n th s p e r io d ) . T h e liv e s to c k a n d fis h e rie s in s p e c tio n la b o r a to r y has th e p o t e n t ia l to e x p a n d to c o v e r fis h
58 | Application of HACCP in the Fish Processing Industry in Southeast Asia
inspection and quality control aspect. This is due to the fact that the laboratory facilities already exist and the staff possesses basic knowledge in the areas of meat inspection and food analysis, which can apply to both fish and fisheries products.