Baltic Export, Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Foodstuff, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies

According to a news agency ITAR-TASS report, sprats produced by Randa have been found to contain excessively high levels of benzopyrene. From now on, sprats produced by Randa are under close scrutiny in Russia, Rosselkhoznadzor said.

"We are completely baffled. We have received no official information but, judging from the data posted at the website, the maximum level has been exceeded 35 times, which is totally absurd. In such a case, it should have been a box of coals, not a canned fish," said Grosmanis.

He went on to say that all the company's products were made according to all the relevant requirements, and the company was no expecting further information from Russia regarding the case.

As reported, after protracted talks in 2011, Latvian sprat producers achieved that, after January 1, 2014, the maximum benzopyrene level in smoked sprats will remain at the previous permissible level, whereas for all other smoked fish products the maximum benzopyrene level will be reduced more than twofold.

Before that, the European Commission said that the maximum level of benzopyrene in smoked sprats must not exceed five micrograms per kilogram of product, whereas Latvia insisted on eight micrograms. After negotiations in Brussels, it was eventually agreed that the maximum level of benzopyrene in smoked sprats would remain unchanged. The agreement was reached after multiple analyses and meetings with European Commission officials. The Agriculture Ministry, in close cooperation with Latvian Fish Canneries Association, was able to achieve that Latvian smoked sprats be prepared using traditional methods.

At the moment, "Sprats in Oil" and "Riga Sprats in Oil" account for over 90% of canned smoked fish in oil produced in Latvia. There are 26 companies making such products in Latvia, exporting about 60 percent of their total output.