How nuclear technology can help fight seafood fraud

From mislabeled fish to hidden additives, deceptive practices are threatening livelihoods, food safety, and trust in what ends up on our plates.

Now, a new international initiative backed by the United Nations is using cutting-edge nuclear science to protect people and ensure the seafood they rely on is safe, authentic, and traceable.

Fishy business

Seafood consumption per capita has doubled since the 1960s and is projected to double again by 2050, with seafood fraud becoming a rising global concern.

While FAO estimates that the fisheries and aquaculture sector employs 62 million people in primary fish production, about 600 million livelihoods rely on fisheries and aquaculture.

Seafood fraud ranges from substituting high-value species with cheaper alternatives to using unauthorised or undeclared additives. It can occur at any stage of the supply chain, especially as monitoring and traceability become more difficult due to supply chains growing increasingly complex.

To make sure seafood fraud does not slip through the net, national and international food control systems need robust and fit-for-purpose analytical methods

Nuclear technology

A joint project between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to use nuclear technology to counter seafood fraud.

Through its Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, the IAEA is launching a five-year coordinated research project to help countries strengthen food control systems to detect and prevent seafood fraud.

The IAEA will use nuclear and related techniques to build scientific capacity, ensure product authenticity, and enhance resilience and transparency in seafood supply chains.

“This IAEA project provides Member States with a valuable opportunity to collaborate in combating fraud and de-risking the seafood supply chain using robust nuclear science-based tools,” said Debashish Mazumder from the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, a key partner of the IAEA on sustainable development issues.

Reeling in truth with atoms

The IAEA’s Food Safety and Control Laboratory supports countries in applying nuclear and related analytical techniques to facilitate trade in safe and authentic seafood, offering powerful tools for fraud detection.

One of the most effective methods to counter seafood fraud is stable isotope ratio analysis of light elements such as oxygen, which allows scientists to identify the geographical origin of the fish and verify whether it was wild-caught by reflecting environmental and ecological conditions in the fish’s biological tissues.

Used to authenticate seafood, nuclear technology serves as a powerful tool to combat seafood fraud, enhancing consumer protection, increasing trust in food control systems, and supporting fisherfolk to engage in sustainable aquatic resource management.