In 2024, researchers evaluated more than 1,000 liver and muscle samples from 888 farmed fish. Annette Bernhard, marine scientist, said: “We have collected more than 30,000 test results for illegal and unwanted substances, and found no exceedances of the EU limit values. At the same time, this supervision is also to ensure that illegal substances are not used in fish farms.”
Annually, the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (Havforsknings instituttet; HI) analyses Norwegian farmed fish on behalf of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA). The monitoring is a requirement under both Norwegian law and EU regulations and is intended to ensure that Norwegian farmed fish do not contain undesirable substances at levels harmful to health.
The analysed samples are mainly of farmed salmon, but researchers also control rainbow trout, trout, halibut and cod. The NFSA is responsible for taking the samples and HI makes the analyses and final reports.
Likewise, researchers found no traces of illegal drugs such as growth hormones in Norwegian farmed fish. Samples taken at slaughterhouses were tested for both approved veterinary drugs (like antibiotics, anesthetics, and antiparasitics) and environmental toxins. Only small residues of insecticides used as lice treatments (cypermethrin and deltamethrin) were detected, possibly transferred through fish feed, but all levels were well below EU safety limits. No harmful substances such as PFAS, dioxins, mercury, lead, or cadmium were found in any sample.
Bernhard also explained: “Samples were taken from fish farms across all life stages. Tests found only low-level residues of certain lice treatments and insecticides, all below safety limits, while no antibiotics or other veterinary drugs were detected.”
In addition, the researchers also analysed 13 samples of smoked fillets from farmed fish for environmental toxins that can occur during grilling, smoking or frying at high temperatures. No sample exceeded the established limit values.
In 2024, several new substances were included in the monitoring. These are chemical compounds that are referred as "contaminants of emerging concern". These compounds were selected based on their relevance to aquaculture, and included chemical elements, a broad spectrum of pesticides, mycotoxins, persistent organic pollutants, processing contaminants, technological feed additives, nitrate and nitrite, and aromatic hydrocarbons, including PAHs in samples of smoked fish fillet. In this sense, Bernhard added: “These are new substances that may be harmful, but which we do not yet know enough about. There are no established limit values for these substances, and it is uncertain both how much we get through food and what amounts may be harmful.”
The substances that were detected will be included in further monitoring. The data will be submitted to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Bernhard concluded: “Norwegian and European authorities need more data on these substances in various foods in order to be able to assess whether there is any health risk associated with them. These are substances that are present in the environment, and then we can also find them in food.”
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