As the second largest seafood exporter in the world, we have a duty of care to all of our consumers. And that’s a responsibility we take very seriously indeed.

We understand that there is a growing concern about food safety on a global scale, so we seek to reassure our consumers through our diligent approach to process and our openness on the subject.

The rules that ensure the quality and safety of our seafood can be found in the Norwegian Quality Regulation Act of 14 June 1996. This regulation formed the basis of the Norwegian Food Act of 2004.

Of course, there’s no point making rules if they aren’t implemented. The Norwegian Safety Authority has put in place a series of surveillance and monitoring programmes, which operate throughout the entire seafood production chain. You can find out more about our Managing and monitoring system on the dedicated page, but we’ve listed some of the key programmes below:

• Dioxin and dioxin like PCBs in feedstuffs and foods (EU Recommendation 2004/704 and 2004/705)

• Chemical and microbiological substances in processed seafood

• Flame retardants and other new organic contaminants

• Heavy metals and metal species (mercury, methyl mercury, arsenic and inorganic arsenic) in selected seafood

We began an extensive monitoring programme in 1994. Today, the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) is responsible for “Seafood Data”, a searchable database full of useful reports about seafood. This includes monitoring contaminants and heavy metals in fish and other seafood products. Samples are taken primarily from the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea. Pelagic species are monitored every 3-5 years.