The schematic shows the key components of the Product Hazard Structure. There are three independent factors to consider: production; species and product.
The production hazards are related to the use of drugs in farmed fish production.
The species hazards are related to contaminants / heavy metal, histamine, marine toxins and sanitary waters. In addition the concentration levels of the species related hazards are different in the meat versus the roe/organ/oil.
The product hazards are related to the processing and preservation method. There are three product categories; canned, RTE and Non RTE, which are further subdivided in accordance with the preservation/ processing methods. For canned products, the preservation/processing method is sterilized; for RTE products, there are 4 different preservation methods; cooked, pasteurized in the container, safety parameters and no safety parameters or heat. For Non RTE products, there are 4 different preservations/processing methods; live, raw, blended/mixed ingredients and breaded. The product hazards for all three produce categories are related to food pathogens, additives, allergens, container integrity, package integrity and package permeability.