Mercury in Spanish swordfish and lead in Tunisian cuttlefish: squeeze on fish imports

She is alert among the health and food safety authorities for the flow of foreign fish entering Italy. The fish offer is tempting to many consumers who - especially during the holidays - do not want to give up seafood dishes. But to realize the poor quality of many goods that come from outside, just scroll through the last month's alert notifications on fish or shellfish consignments withdrawn from Italian trade as they are dangerous to human health. The data can only be freely consulted on the European portal of RASFF, an English acronym that indicates the safety warnings for food and feed. The latest alert dates back to 21 December when the Italian authorities found a concentration of mercury higher than the permitted doses in the swordfish from Spain and arrived vacuum packed. Consignments of Spanish swordfish had already been the recipients of a "serious" alert a few days earlier, on 18 December, again for mercury concentrations, albeit to a lesser extent than the latest ...