Fish meal is an important constituent part of fish feeds. It has a good reputation as a source of protein for high-quality feeds for young animals. "It is a very high-quality raw material. A critical point, however, is protein decay with the subsequent loss of quality and the creation of harmful protein decay products. This protein decay begins if the incoming fish lies in storage for more than two to three hours. This can be a problem if the processing capacity is not sufficient to process the unloaded cargo. Rapid processing is therefore desirable", says Edwin van Bussel.

Everything in order
The fishmeal production company P/F Havsbrún which Van Bussel visited seemed to have everything in order. P/F Havsbrún is located in Fuglafjørður. The company, which is situated on the banks of a fjord, produces fishmeal and fish oil. There is also a fish feed factory in the industrial area.
Van Bussel: "The assessment of the manual showed that there was a detailed HACCP risk assessment. The monitoring programme includes a large number of analyses which showed that the company complies with the norms of the GMP⁺ certification scheme."

Agreements
In order to control the processing process as well as possible, the fishmeal industry has entered into agreements with the fishers about the chilling of the fish immediately after the catch (maximum 7º C) and the use of fresh water as process water. Edwin: "The fishing vessels take the fresh water from the fish processing company. The company wants the fresh water to be used as process water in order to control the salt level of the fish. The fishers are judged on this."
On arrival, various quality measurements are immediately made of the catch. The temperature measurement is done immediately after the fish has been extracted from the holds of the vessel. It is then brought into a cooker and heated up which is a major step in the further processing.
The price for the catch is determined using the quantity supplied and the results of the various quality parameters. The fishers are paid out in cash.

Establishment of the catch area
The traceability systems begins with a detailed record of the catch areas. All ‘movements' of the product are then traceable, from the processing process up to delivery. "This traceability is a very strong point. It is noticeable that in practice little use is made of the detailed quality descriptions in the contracts between suppliers and customers", according to Van Bussel. "In the contracts between the European suppliers and customers there are often only the traditional product specifications such as raw protein and raw fat. In Asia, on the other hand, many more quality specifications are included in the contracts." The requirements with which the specifications for feeds must comply are laid down in the GMP⁺ certification scheme. They do not actually have to be in the purchase and/or sales contracts.

External inspector
An external LCI inspector was also present during the audit. During the final discussion with the management of the company the auditor stated that the company was in compliance with the requirements of the GMP⁺ B2 standard. Each auditor also establishes items for improvement and that was the case here. Van Bussel returned home satisfied. "The audit went very well."