The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the requirements for the standard for canned tuna identity and filling of containers. This regulation will modernize and update food standards for the products in several technical ways, such as moving from the pressed cake method to the drained weight approach. Other changes may include removing provisions for specific flavorings and spices and revising the upper and lower levels of vegetable extracts in cans. The final rule is expected to be announced in October.

The change to canned tuna standards was in response to a citizen petition submitted by Bumble Bee Foods, StarKist, and Chicken of the Sea International. Standards for the identity and filling of containers of canned tuna were established in 1957. Although the regulation was amended several times, certain requirements are outdated, stated the FDA in 2023.

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) announced last week that it “embarked on a country mission to Guinea-Bissau to discuss enhancing the nation’s fisheries transparency by implementing the FiTI standard.” The Initiative stated that it held discussions in recent months with the Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, Mário Musante, and his technical team in Bissau to deliver a proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding between both parties for a sustainable tuna fishery in its EEZ. The EU and Guinea-Bissau renewed their fishing partnership agreement in September last year, allowing boats from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, and France to fish in the tuna-rich Guinea-Bissau EEZ in the Atlantic Ocean for the next five years.

A FiTI statement read: “Discussions included ongoing dialogue on the advantages of improving sustainable fisheries governance in the country, as well as requests for these institutions and organizations to support the government and the Ministry of Fisheries throughout this process. These efforts will contribute to substantially improving fisheries governance in the country.”

Hawaiian retailers have one year to label the tuna used in their ahi sashimi, poke, and sushi, so that consumers will know whether they are buying locally caught fish. Ahi refers to yellowfin and bigeye, both species are caught by the US longline fleet in Hawaii.

Last week, Hawaiian Governor Josh Green signed five bills about food, agriculture, and biosecurity. One was the bill that prohibits the sale of raw processed ahi by retailers without indicating the country where the ahi was landed on the label. “The health and resiliency of our agricultural lands and producers are not just vital – they are the very foundation of Hawaii’s well-being and future,” Green said in a statement, after signing the bills. Legislators have been demanding stricter labelling requirements for imported raw ahi tuna. One of their main arguments was that imported tuna is often carbon dioxide-treated, unlike fish from Hawaii fisheries.