Information about Testing Data from 2015 to 2025 on Contaminants in Scottish Farmed and Wild-Caught Salmon

Your request was about the following information:

Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, I request:

Q1. Testing data from 2015-2025 on contaminants in Scottish farmed and wild-caught salmon, including but not limited to:

Q1a. PFAS, PCBs, dioxins, heavy metals, antibiotic residues, pesticides

Q1b. Comparisons between Scottish salmon and salmon from other sources

Q2. Risk assessments on potential health impacts of contaminants found in Scottish salmon.

Q3. Records of any food safety incidents or product recalls related to Scottish salmon (2015- 2025).

Q4. Consumer complaints about health concerns from Scottish salmon consumption (2015- 2025).

Q5. Guidance issued to Scottish salmon producers, retailers or consumers on food safety practices.

Q6. Information on monitoring programs for environmental pollutants in Scottish salmon farming areas.

Q7. Communications with salmon producers, health experts or other stakeholders regarding salmon safety.

Q8. Any planned changes to regulations or monitoring practices for Scottish salmon.

A1. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and Local Authority (LA) sampling programmes target products at retail and the aim of such sampling is to verify safety and identify and evaluate potential emerging risks in a range of foods which are on sale in Scotland. Therefore these programmes are not designed in a way that would enable us to collect sufficiently comprehensive data to identify whether the products are Scottish farmed or wild caught salmon. Between 1st January 2015 to 1st January 2025 143 salmon samples were tested for a range of contaminants, including 133 samples which were UK country of origin and 10 samples of imported salmon products. These samples included raw salmon as well as smoked, cooked salmon products. The types of tests carried out and numbers of samples in each category of test are presented below and all were found to be satisfactory. Please note the number of samples is different to the number of tests, as one sample could have undergone a number of tests. To note that for certain contaminants, including antibiotic residues and pesticides, it is the responsibility of other organisations (Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Health and Safety Executive respectively) to undertake monitoring and surveillance. These organisations would alert FSS in cases where non-compliant levels were detected which have the potential to present a food safety risk. Please find the relevant information in the attached document with title 'Tables'.

A2. FSS has not undertaken a risk assessment to assess the potential health impacts of contaminants found in Scottish salmon, because we have not seen any evidence that Scottish salmon specifically presents a particular food safety risk compared with other types of fish. We have published a risk assessment on The risk to vulnerable consumers from Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat smoked fish. The focus of this risk assessment is Listeria monocytogenes; a pathogen which occurs in the environment, and can be found in a wide range of ready to eat foods including cooked sliced meats, pre-cut fruit and vegetables, sandwiches and smoked fish. This risk assessment covers all fish which are smoked and tend to be consumed without a cooking step that would eliminate potentially harmful bacteria and is not specific to salmon. The report can be found here: Listeria monocytogenes risk assessment | Food Standards Scotland

A3. 

• Number of food safety incidents related to Scottish salmon (2015-2025) - 39
• Number of food safety alerts related to Scottish salmon (2015-2025) - 3

A4. Between 2015-2025, FSS only received 1 consumer complaint in relation to salmon (a smoked salmon product purchased at retail), however no brand was specified and we were unable to obtain any further details. It is therefore not certain that the salmon was of Scottish origin. A5. FSS has not issued any guidance on food safety practices which is specific to Scottish salmon producers. All businesses involved in the processing of salmon are required to adhere to the same legal food safety requirements as any other food producer; and should refer to the appropriate guidance documents published on our website: Food safety regulations & legislation | Food Standards Scotland | Food Standards Scotland We have also produced a safe smoked fish tool to help manufacturers of smoked fish (including but not specifically salmon) assess their individual practices with tips and guidance to support safe production, including the use of cold and hot smoking and shelf life.

A5. FSS has not issued any guidance on food safety practices which is specific to Scottish salmon producers. All businesses involved in the processing of salmon are required to adhere to the same legal food safety requirements as any other food producer; and should refer to the appropriate guidance documents published on our website: Food safety regulations & legislation | Food Standards Scotland | Food Standards Scotland We have also produced a safe smoked fish tool to help manufacturers of smoked fish (including but not specifically salmon) assess their individual practices with tips and guidance to support safe production, including the use of cold and hot smoking and shelf life.

A6. As noted above, FSS does not have responsibility for undertaking monitoring programs for environmental pollutants in Scottish salmon farming areas. We would advise that you contact the following Scottish Government Directorates and Agencies for this information: Health and Safety Executive, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Scottish Government Marine Directorate.

A7. FSS has not issued any communications which are specific to salmon safety. We communicated with Salmon Scotland as part of a wider group of industry and public health stakeholders in July and August 2023 (please find attached these emails.  Section 38(1)(b) (Personal information) FOISA applies to the content.

This communication was issued to inform relevant food industry and public health stakeholders of the publication of our risk assessment on the risk to vulnerable consumers from Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat smoked fish, and to seek their support in disseminating our updated advice to this group of consumers with regard to the findings of this risk assessment. The focus of this risk assessment and the advice relates to Listeria monocytogenes; a pathogen which occurs in the environment, and can be found in a wide range of ready to eat foods including cooked sliced meats, pre-cut fruit and vegetables, sandwiches and smoked fish. It should be noted that this advice covers all fish that is placed on the market as smoked and ready to eat, and includes, but is not specific to salmon. The stakeholders contacted in this communication are listed below:

• Age Scotland

• Aquascot

• FDF Scotland

• Federation of Small Businesses

• NHS Inform • Public Health Scotland

• Ready Steady Baby

• Royal College of Nursing

• Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland

• Salmon Scotland • Scotland Food and Drink

• Scottish Perinatal Network

• Scottish Retail Consortium

• Scottish Salmon Company

• Scottish Seafood Association

• Scottish Wholesale Association

• Seafish • Seafood Scotland

• Seafood Trade Programme

• Society of Chief Officers of Environmental Health

• UKHospitality

A8. FSS is currently reviewing its monitoring regime for contaminants in wild caught fish landed in Scotland, which may include wild salmon. The species of fish to be sampled and the range of contaminants to be tested in this programme will be based on a risk assessment which we aim to publish in the early summer.