Seafood is one of the most globally traded food commodities and is critical to food security and livelihoods. Rich in energy, proteins and nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and vitamins, seafood consumption per capita has doubled since the 1960s and is projected to double again by 2050.
However, fraudulent practices in the seafood sector are a growing global concern. They undermine food safety, consumer trust and economic stability. The IAEA, through its Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, is launching a five-year coordinated research project (CRP) to help countries strengthen food control systems to detect and prevent seafood fraud.
The project aims to protect consumers and producers while promoting fair trade in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors.
The IAEA will use nuclear and related techniques to build scientific capacity, ensure product authenticity and enhance resilience and transparency in seafood supply chains.
One planned output will be to create reference databases of isotopic and molecular fingerprints for various seafood products, to feed into digital food traceability systems.
What is Seafood Fraud?
Seafood fraud often involves substituting high-value species with cheaper alternatives, mislabelling origin or harvest areas, selling farmed fish as wild-caught fish, marketing previously frozen fish as fresh fish and using unauthorized or undeclared additives. Fraud can occur at any stage of the seafood supply chain - from production and processing to distribution, retail or catering. As supply chains grow more complex, monitoring and traceability become more difficult, creating opportunities for fraud.
These practices mislead consumers and disrupt trade, and some pose serious public health risks. Substituting species may expose consumers to allergens, toxins, parasites or pathogens. Mislabelled origins can mean sourcing from polluted waters, illegal fishing zones or endangered species habitats. Even thawed fish sold as fresh may cause microbiological risks or allergic reactions due to compounds like histamine. Religious or organic claims also require verification to avoid being misleading. To address these challenges, national and international food control systems need robust, fit-for-purpose analytical methods.
How Can Nuclear Techniques Detect Seafood Fraud?
The IAEA's Food Safety and Control Laboratory supports countries in using nuclear and related analytical techniques to enhance laboratory capacity, improve regulatory oversight and facilitate trade in safe, authentic seafood. These techniques can offer powerful tools for fraud detection. Integrated with conventional methods, they provide a comprehensive evidence base that strengthens food safety and authenticity decisions.
One of the most effective methods is stable isotope ratio analysis of light elements - carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, oxygen, and hydrogen - which reflect environmental and ecological conditions in biological tissues. This allows scientists to identify the geographical origin of fish and verify whether they are wild-caught.
Stable isotope analysis becomes even more powerful when combined with elemental profiling techniques like X ray fluorescence spectroscopy, ion beam analysis, neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma with mass, atomic or optical spectroscopy. Scientists also use nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to differentiate species, detect additives and uncover fraudulent practices such as selling frozen fish under a different label.
High resolution mass spectrometry helps scientists study proteins (proteomics), small molecules (metabolomics) and fats (lipidomics). This generates molecular fingerprints to detect food safety hazards and verify labelling claims.
Research Objectives
This CRP builds on previous food authenticity projects and aims to empower countries, particularly low and middle-income countries, to apply nuclear technologies to combat seafood fraud. It aims to enhance consumer protection, increase trust in food control systems and support sustainable aquatic resource management.
The objectives of this CRP include developing and validating fit-for-purpose analytical methods, establishing standardized sampling and preparation protocols and generating new analytical data to address knowledge gaps in seafood fraud detection.
A planned output of the CRP will be to create reference databases of isotopic and molecular fingerprints for various seafood products. These databases will feed into digital food traceability systems, facilitating international trade and regulatory compliance.
The CRP will also serve as a platform for strengthening expertise, enabling technology transfer, regional collaboration and training. Participating countries will be equipped to align national seafood labelling regulations with Codex and international standards.
"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. Seafood provenance information can benefit trade and contribute to industry sustainability," said Debashish Mazumder, Food Provenance Project Leader at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.
Over five years, this CRP will produce scientific IAEA publications to share results with food safety networks, regulators and industry. The long-term impact seeks to extend beyond seafood authenticity by contributing to sustainability and equity in seafood value chains, supporting artisanal fisheries and combating illegal and unregulated fishing.
How to join this CRP
Research institutions interested in joining the CRP must submit their Proposal for Research Contract or Agreement via email, no later than 31 October 2025, to the IAEA's Research Contracts Administration Section using the appropriate template on the CRA web portal.
The IAEA is committed to gender equality and to promoting a diverse workforce. Applications from qualified women and candidates from developing countries are strongly encouraged.
