Safe Harbor Certified Seafood is the first brand developed under San Rafael, California based Micro Analytical Systems, Inc. (MASI). Seafood bearing the Safe Harbor seal is tested for overall mercury content to be under the FDA's action level of 1ppm,

histamine Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses, as well as regulating physiological functions in the gut and acting as a neurotransmitter for the brain, spinal cord, and uterus. Since histamine was discovered ...

, Escherichia coli O157:H7(E.coli O157:H7) and salmonella. Every large fin fish is individually tested by MASI personnel so the maximum mercury level in that fish does not exceed the limit set for that species. In addition, most shellfish and farmed species of

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...

, shrimp and

tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically most ...

are screened for E.coli O157:H7 and Salmonella while exotic species like

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...

, mahi mahi and swordfish are tested for scombroid food poisoning see

. Fish that are not individually tested (fish generally known to be lower in mercury, two lbs and under) are batch tested using an

ANSI The American National Standards Institute (ANSI ) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. The organi ...

approved sampling algorithm ensuring a 95% confidence rate that the respective lot being tested falls under the Safe Harbor standard set for that species.

Company

In 2002, Micro Analytical Systems, Inc. (MASI) developed technology for testing seafood for its mercury concentration. A decade of research and development led to the development of a proprietary technology that can test any tissue sample for overall mercury concentrations. Tissue samples are extracted using a modified biopsy needle with quantitative results registering in less than 60 seconds. In contrast to other conventional testing procedures, the nature of the technology and the speed of the testing process not only allows the sample to then be consumed, the testing can be done in real-time in processing and distribution facilities, on the production line. According to their data, MASI has conducted over 200,000 tests on seafood to determine its mercury concentration and presence of histamine and harmful pathogens. In 2010, MASI began testing for ''E.coli'' O157 :H7 and ''Salmonella'' through the use of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) based technology. In addition, MASI also began testing for histamine, a product of spoilage due to time and temperature abuse usually as a result of improper handling, temperature control and elevated levels of histamine producing bacteria in the marine environment. MASI uses the competitive ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method for the screening of histamine in scombroid species of fish.

Testing locations

MASI tests fish under the Safe Harbor Label at facilities around the world located in: *

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, NV, USA *

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, IL, USA *

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, CA, USA * Emeryville, CA, USA

References

{{reflist * Weise, Elizabeth USA TODAY. 2009. ''Mercury found in all fish caught in U.S.-tested streams''. USA Today, USA. * Fish Update.com: "MASI expands distribution of low-mercury seafood" http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/6401/MASI_expands_distribution_of_low-mercury_seafood.html, Jan. 2007 * SAFbaby.com "What Pregnant Moms and Parents Need to Know About Fish and Mercury" http://www.safbaby.com/what-pregnant-moms-and-parents-need-to-know-about-fish-and-mercury#more-1062 * Eight out of Ten Swordfish Exceed FDA Mercury Action Level http://www.ad-hoc-news.de/eight-out-of-ten-swordfish-exceed-fda-mercury-action-level--/de/Unternehmensnachrichten/15049646 * Seafood Source "Q&A with Mal Wittenberg, CEO Micro Analytical Systems, Inc." http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=4294967835

External links

Safe Harbor Certified Seafood official siteThe EPA's Mercury SiteMercury in the Environment; U.S. Geological SurveyHealthy Fish, Healthy Families; Association of Reproductive Health Professionals
Food product brands Companies based in California