Suchergebnisse

Globally, demand for food animal products is rising. At the same time, we face mounting, related pressures including limited natural resources, negative environmental externalities, climate disruption, and population growth. Governments and other stakeholders are seeking strategies to boost food production efficiency and food system resiliency, and aquaculture (farmed seafood) is commonly viewed as having a major role in improving global food security based on longstanding measures of animal production efficiency. The most widely used measurement is called the 'feed conversion ratio' (FCR), which is the weight of feed administered over the lifetime of an animal divided by weight gained. By this measure, fed aquaculture and chickens are similarly efficient at converting feed into animal biomass, and both are more efficient compared to pigs and cattle. FCR does not account for differences in feed content, edible portion of an animal, or nutritional quality of the final product. Given these limitations, we searched the literature for alternative efficiency measures and identified 'nutrient retention', which can be used to compare protein and calories in feed (inputs) and edible portions of animals (outputs). Protein and calorie retention have not been calculated for most aquaculture species. Focusing on commercial production, we collected data on feed composition, feed conversion ratios, edible portions (i.e. yield), and nutritional content of edible flesh for nine aquatic and three terrestrial farmed animal species. We estimate that 19% of protein and 10% of calories in feed for aquatic species are ultimately made available in the human food supply, with significant variation between species. Comparing all terrestrial and aquatic animals in the study, chickens are most efficient using these measures, followed by Atlantic salmon. Despite lower FCRs in aquaculture, protein and calorie retention for aquaculture production is comparable to livestock production. This is, in part, due to farmed fish and shrimp requiring higher levels of protein and calories in feed compared to chickens, pigs, and cattle. Strategies to address global food security should consider these alternative efficiency measures. ; https://cdn.iopscience.com/content/1748-9326/13/2/024017/Mmedia/abstract-video-6dc5d352e14ea211a322a9e516ba7498.converted.mp4

Half of the world's edible seafood comes from aquaculture, and the United States (US) government is working to develop an offshore finfish aquaculture industry in federal waters. To date, US aquaculture has largely been regulated at the state level, and creating an offshore aquaculture industry will require the development of a new regulatory structure. Some aquaculture practices involve hazardous working conditions and the use of veterinary drugs, agrochemicals, and questionable farming methods, which could raise environmental and occupational public health concerns if these methods are employed in the offshore finfish industry in the US. This policy analysis aims to inform public health professionals and other stakeholders in the policy debate regarding how offshore finfish aquaculture should be regulated in the US to protect human health; previous policy analyses on this topic have focused on environmental impacts. We identified 20 federal laws related to offshore finfish aquaculture, including 11 that are relevant to preventing, controlling, or monitoring potential public health risks. Given the novelty of the industry in the US, myriad relevant laws, and jurisdictional issues in an offshore setting, federal agencies need to work collaboratively and transparently to ensure that a comprehensive and functional regulatory structure is established that addresses the potential public health risks associated with this type of food production.

OBJECTIVES: National food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are adapted by governments reflecting their nation's food system and specific nutrition context, with varied approaches by country. Seafood is commonly included as one of many items in a "meat" or "animal-source" food group. It is currently unclear whether FBDG recommendations for seafood are achievable for the food supply, equitable for people, or sustainable for the planet. We seek to (1) Review the specific recommendations of national FBDGs related to seafood intake, quantifying the amount of seafood recommended for adults (2) Document the rationale for seafood consumption and mentions of sustainability (3) Estimate the supply required to meet recommendations and compare it with national fish production for each country. METHODS: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) FBDG database was used to identify 92 countries with officially recognized FBDGs. Extracted data include (1) Recommended consumption of seafood (amounts, standard portion size, frequency of consumption and species/type) and (2) Mentions of sustainability. To calculate the fish supply needed to fulfill recommendations, conversions from cooked portions to raw (grams) seafood weights were used. These converted figures were then compared against that from FAO FishStat and the Sea Around Us database, and gaps/surpluses by country were identified. Mentions of sustainability were evaluated in terms of specific mention of fish vs. more generic recommendations. RESULTS: Out of 92 FBDGs, 77 mentioned seafood. Out of 40 high-income country's FBDG, 35 countries have a seafood servings per week recommendation, but only 23 provide serving size recommendations. Final presented results will illustrate the differences in the supply of seafood needed to meet recommended consumption levels. Sustainability was mentioned in eight guidelines independently of seafood and five additional mentioned seafood and sustainability together. Implications for sustainability of seafood production and global trade ...

Farmed oysters are one of the most valuable aquacultured products in the United States (U.S.), are highly perishable, and increasingly shipped live year-round. Supply chain actors must work together to bring refrigerated oysters to market quickly, while maintaining product value, safety and traceability information. In light of these demands, this study assesses the performance and conduct of supply chains for U.S. farmed oysters (Crassostrea virginica, C. gigas). Over the two-year study period, we conducted interviews with 56 businesses and tracked 125 oyster shipments from two major growing regions in the U.S. through six different types of supply chains. We hypothesized that direct and intermediated supply chains would perform differently in terms of timeto-market, product temperature in cold chains, compliance with temperature regulations, and modeled risks from Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Intermediated supply chains, by their definition have more connections than direct supply chains, and we found this introduces a longer time-to-market and a higher incidence of time and temperature abuse. However, these factors did not lead to greater modeled V. parahaemolyticus risks. Participants in both direct and intermediated supply chains were aware of the importance of traceability and felt uniformly positive about their ability to perform recalls. A common concern was the speed of government-imposed recalls, which can be declared by regulators after the affected live oysters are consumed. Members of these supply chains play different roles in maintaining the cold chain, possess different levels of information related to traceability, and describe different levels of trust with other supply chain actors. This paper contributes to a growing body of knowledge on supply chains for seafood and their critical, and sometimes overlooked, role in larger food systems. ; NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program [16GAR008]; Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future ; We thank the Washington State and Chesapeake Bay oyster aquaculture industry and those individuals and businesses that participated in the study. This research was primarily supported by the NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program (16GAR008). Some materials and other study expenses were supported by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future with a gift from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. We also thank the peer reviewers for their time and input.

Vibrio bacteria can accumulate in molluscan shellfish and cause human diseases. The United States (U.S.) has implemented Vibrio Control Plans to mitigate risks associated with these bacteria, which include time and temperature requirements for post-harvest processing and maintaining an unbroken cold chain In this study, we tracked the performance of cold chains for U.S. farmed oysters distributed nationally and internationally using temperature sensors. Boxes and bags of oysters (n = 125) were shipped from farms in Washington State and the Chesapeake Bay to 143 unique businesses in 20 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Hong Kong, China. Eighty-one percent of the temperature sensors were returned with usable data. The average product temperature among all participants was 4.4 +/- 2.7 degrees C (40 +/- 5 degrees F), which is 5.6 degrees C (10 degrees F) cooler than the 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) guidance criterium established by the U.S. government. There were spikes in temperature in some shipments: 18% of shipments (16/91) experienced oyster temperatures above 10 degrees C for one hour or more, and the median time spent out of temperature control was 2.5 h. We modeled V. parahaemolyticus abundance using temperature sensor data and 75% (68/91) of shipments had a net decrease in V. parahaemolyticus abundance in the cold chain. There are opportunities for improvements in cold chain performance in the shellfish industry and related businesses. In the discussion we provide recommendations for oyster producers related to product cooling, for businesses that handle shellfish, and for government and industry groups to develop guidance for shipping by air, among other issues. ; NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program [16GAR008] ; We thank the Washington State and Chesapeake Bay oyster aquaculture industries and the individuals and businesses who participated in the study. This research was primarily supported by the NOAA Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program (16GAR008). Some materials and other study expenses were supported by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future with a gift from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.