Seafood Hotline Responds to Consumer Needs
by Laura Bradbard

For many, a trip to the beach would not be complete without
steamed clams, broiled lobster tail, or scallops on the grill.
The scent of salt air, the cries of seagulls, and the messy
splendor of cracking crabs is often synonymous with vacation.
The bounty of the sea can be a delight, but for some it can
become a problem. How do you know the seafood is fresh?
Where should you buy it? How should you store it to prevent
spoilage?
Rather than fishing around for answers to questions about
seafood safety, now, with FDA's Seafood Hotline, consumers
can get expert advice about buying, storing and preparing
seafood. All that's needed is a telephone.
Since it began operating last October, FDA's Seafood
Hotline has logged more than 10,000 calls. Consumers,
doctors, lawyers, student chefs, and others have called from
every state, as well as Hong Kong, Great Britain, Spain,
Mexico, and Canada.
"The popularity of seafood is growing, but many consumers
want more information on how to buy and use seafood
products," says FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler, M.D.
"The hot line is being established to help them directly with
their particular questions."

Responding to Responsibilities
Since 1906, FDA has had the responsibility of ensuring the
safety, wholesomeness, and proper labeling of seafood
products, along with all other foods except fresh poultry and
meat (the responsibility of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture).
Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Fair
Packaging and Labeling Act, and the Public Health Service
Act, the agency carries out a program that includes
inspection, sampling, analysis, research, and education on
seafood issues.
These activities apply to both domestic and imported seafood,
which is monitored through wharf exams, collecting and
analyzing samples, and negotiating agreements with foreign
governments to ensure that seafood exported to the United
States is safe, wholesome, and properly labeled.
In February 1991, Commissioner Kessler established the
Office of Seafood within FDA. The office serves as the focal
point for all seafood-related activities and has a budget of
$40.5 million.
According to the agency's Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition, consumers eat about 1,000 commercial
fish species and spend almost $30 billion annually on seafood.
Approximately $3 billion of the U.S. harvest is exported, and
about 200,000 seafood entries per year, worth nearly $5
billion, are received from about 135 different countries. Last
year, Americans ate 13 billion seafood meals--about 15
pounds of seafood per person.

Many Questions Answered
FDA's objective for the hot line is to help minimize seafood
safety and quality concerns from producer to consumer. Hot
line director Ruth Welch says consumers can get answers to
questions about buying, storing and handling seafood as well
as questions on seafood  labeling and nutrition. (Sorry, no
recipes, she says.) Typical questions range from whether fish
can safely be kept frozen for a year (it depends on the type
of fish) to why canned tuna is darker now than it used to be
(dolphin-safe fishing methods avoid harvesting the larger tuna
with whiter flesh).
One caller asked if shark meat is tested to ensure the shark
hasn't eaten a human. (It's not.) Someone else wanted to
know how intestines are removed from oysters, clams and
mussels eaten whole. (They aren't removed.)
Another caller was seeking information on a particular
species. "I was served escolar in a restaurant. What kind of
fish is it?" The answer: Escolar, also known as castor oil fish,
has purgative properties and may cause diarrhea and cramps.
FDA has recommended it not be sold in interstate commerce
or served in restaurants.
A woman asked why the imitation crab meat made from fin
fish she was feeding her cat glowed in the dark. "Is it
radioactive?" The answer: Bio-luminescent bacteria, a natural
phenomenon, caused the fish to glow in the dark. Although
generally thought harmless, the effect of consuming this
"neon aura" is currently under study.

More Help
In addition to the hot line, FDA is engaged in other activities
to inform the public about seafood safety concerns, some of
which can have serious health ramifications. Last year, FDA
produced a series of brochures on seafood safety targeted to
high-risk populations: people with liver disease, AIDS and
other immune disorders, diabetes mellitus, and
gastrointestinal disorders.
"We want to tell people how important it is for them to
handle and cook fish properly and to warn them of the
dangers of eating raw molluscan shellfish," says Welch.
Hot line callers can also listen to a prerecorded message
about eating raw shellfish and can have the brochure they
select mailed or faxed to them. If they have additional
questions, they can call during operating hours (noon to 4
p.m. Eastern time weekdays) and speak to a public affairs
specialist. About 7,900 brochures, including about 1,000 high-
risk brochures, have been distributed through the hot line.
"There are misconceptions about seafood safety that still exist
and educational gaps that need to be filled," adds Welch. "If
people handle fish in an unsafe manner at home and get sick,
they may believe the seafood was not safe when they
purchased it. We believe that in most instances, it could have
easily been prevented with some simple education. The FDA
is responsible for seafood safety. When consumers think
seafood, they should think FDA."

Automation for Education
The hot line has been able to provide a variety of
educational materials to consumers through the automated
message system and the Flash Fax feature. This system allows
callers to select a brochure to be sent to their own facsimile
machine simply by pressing numbers on their telephone. In a
matter of minutes the caller has the requested information in
hand.
The automated system captured 73 percent of the calls
through  which consumers accessed current topics and
general seafood information 24 hours a day. Callers listened
to 2,000 messages on seafood safety, purchasing, and nutrition
labeling. There are up to 50 prerecorded messages, including
current press releases and FDA backgrounders on seafood
issues.
According to Welch, "The automated hot line is an efficient
way of getting educational materials out, but by speaking
directly to the consumer we can get an immediate feel for
their knowledge and for gaps and misunderstandings that
exist between us. By listening and responding to consumers'
concerns, we are better focusing our educational materials to
target actual needs."
During operating hours, the hot line is staffed by two public
affairs specialists with specific training in seafood safety. By
logging the consumer questions into a computer, the hot line
staff can identify trends in consumer inquiries, complaints
and concerns.
The first few months of the hot line have provided
information that will guide FDA in developing educational
and informational materials that the public needs and wants.
Hot line callers have initiated several complaints, most
concerning canned tuna, which were referred through FDA's
epidemiological and environmental operations branch. The
hot line system also referred more than 225 consumers to a
manufacturing company's toll-free consumer line when the
company issued a recall on canned tuna.
The hot line number has appeared in at least 40 newspapers
and in magazine articles in such publications as Bon Appetit,
American Health, and True Story. Fifty-four percent of the
callers found the number in these publications (32 percent in
newspapers and 22 percent in magazines). Ten percent of the
callers learned of the hot line number from FDA district
offices and the FDA Medical Bulletin. Professional and
business organizations such as the American Dietetic
Association, the American Medical Association, and the
American Seafood Institute provided the number to their
constituents.
"We have worked with the Office of Seafood on consumers'
concerns about chemical contaminants and the quality of
tuna," Welch said. "The hot line has shown the need for more
information on safe storage and proper handling of seafood
and about recreational fishers heeding state closures and
advisories."
With the number of calls averaging 2,200 per month and with
many magazines scheduled to run the hot line number in
upcoming issues, hot line staffers look forward to continuing
to respond to consumers' questions about the safety of
seafood. 

Laura Bradbard is a member of FDA's public affairs staff.
The FDA Seafood Hotline can be reached at (1-800) FDA-
4010. [NOTE (2003): This number has changed to 1-888-723-3366.] 
The automated hot line and Flash Fax service is available 24
hours a day. Public affairs specialists can be reached 12 noon
to 4 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday.