The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) urgently calls on Spanish political parties with a presence in the European Parliament to support a crucial amendment to Regulation 853/2004. This amendment seeks to establish a limit of four days for the stiffening period of smoked salmon, with the aim of safeguarding the health of consumers.
Stiffening, the period between smoking and slicing the salmon, is allowed at a storage temperature of -11ºC for a few days, according to the Food Codex. However, problems arise when this period extends beyond what it should.
Inspections in 2020 revealed that smoked salmon was held in Poland for up to three months, posing a significant risk to food safety.
The OCU argues that preserving fish products for prolonged periods beyond a few days requires keeping them at -18ºC, as stipulated by European regulations. Therefore, this temperature should be reflected on the product labeling to adequately inform consumers.
This warning, notes the OCU, is based on an exhaustive analysis carried out by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals, nutritionists, food technologists, statisticians, lawyers, editors and designers of the same entity.
