Pay attention to the label. Especially that of fish, which is the most complex in the panorama of food products. The reason? It must comply with both general and specific legislation for fishery and aquaculture products. The purpose is to help the buyer in distinguish fish fresh from frozen or deep-frozen. But also – he explains the Food Fact – to identify the fishing area. For this it is necessary that the seller shows the label in a completely transparent way.
The mandatory information, explains the Emilia-Romagna health service, is lower in the case in which the products are sold in bulk for immediate distribution to customers (as in fishmongers) while for the fish sold packaged the requests to be respected are greater. As for the restaurant menus it is mandatory, among other things, specify when the fish is defrosted or frozen. In this last case it is also necessary to report the net quantity of the food, the minimum shelf life, the guidelines for the correct conservation of the product after purchase, the list of ingredients, the instructions for use for optimal consumption of the product. , the production batch.
And again: the manufacturer’s brand or company name, the location of the production or packaging plant, the warning not to refreeze the product, once defrosted, with an invitation to consume it within the following 24 hours. In addition, of course, to the presence of any allergens. Less known to those who buy fish is the obligation to indicate in the list of ingredients the additives used such as antioxidants, citric acid and so on, but also the list of substances that create allergies.
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