Feed Safety

Ridley Aqua-Feed understands the importance of feed safety, security and traceability at a local and global level. Our Feed Safety Programme (FSP) allows our customers and the end users a level of confidence and knowledge that the feed and the raw materials used to make it are routinely tested through both the local Ridley Aqua-Feed FSP and through the National Residue Survey (NRS).

The NRS tests for a wide range of chemicals used in agriculture, such as insecticides and fungicides.  More information about the NRS can found at the following link. (www.affa.gov.au/agriculture-food/nrs)

Dioxins, Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Flame-retardants) Dioxins, PCBs and flame-retardants are organic pollutants that are found in all environments and are generally man made, although dioxins are produced through low temperature combustion such as during forest fires. 

They are highly persistent, fat-soluble contaminants and as such are found in the food chain, particularly in fatty foods.  Therefore the contaminants present in farmed fish come from their feed and are present mainly because of the use of fishmeal and fish oil.

Fishmeal and fish oil are made from the bony pelagic species that are, chiefly for economic reasons, generally unsuitable for human consumption. The levels of organic pollutants in fishmeal and fish oil vary, depending on many factors including origin.

The highest levels are found in fish from the Baltic Sea and North Sea. They are stored in the fatty tissues and hence are found at higher levels in the fish oils than they are in the fishmeal, which contains lower levels of dioxins and PCBs as a consequence of its fish oil content.

Dioxins, PCBs and flame-retardants are neither broken down by the manufacturing methods used nor by metabolic processes in either the fish or the human.  However, recent studies (Lundebye et al., 2004*) found that that the levels of dioxin present in fishmeal and oil are unlikely to increase the levels in edible parts of farmed salmon above present acceptable limits.

Feed Safety Programme

In light of the strong concerns on this issue, Ridley Aqua-Feed has exercised responsibility and due diligence through the implementation of a monitoring programme for a range of potential contaminants.  This includes the testing of every delivery of fish oil, the majority of fishmeal and finished feed for dioxins, PCBs and flame-retardants. 

To support this, all fish oil and meal purchased by Ridley Aqua-Feed is bought to a tight specification and sourced from areas of low risk, typically South America.  In addition, feed and raw materials are tested for the following:

• pesticide residues
• heavy metals
• aflatoxins
• bacterial contamination
• Other contaminants, including melamine and antibiotics.

Below are the typical dioxin results:

*A.-K. LUNDEBYE, M.H.G. BERNTSSEN, Ø. LIE1, G. RITCHIE,. ISOSAARI, H. KIVIRANTA & T.VARTIAINEN (2004) Dietary uptake of dioxins (PCDD/PCDFs) and dioxin-like PCBs in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Aquaculture Nutrition 2004 10; 199–207