• 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. 

• A joint project between the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to use nuclear technology to counter seafood fraud.  

• Through its Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, the IAEA is launching a five-year coordinated research project 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.

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 unauthorised 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. 

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.

International Atomic Energy Agency

• Widely known as the ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’ organisation within the United Nations family, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is the world’s central inter-governmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field.

• The agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies, contributing to international peace and security and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

• The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology. The agency’s genesis was US President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” address to the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 8, 1953.

• The US Ratification of the Statute by President Eisenhower on July 29, 1957, marks the official birth of the IAEA.

• In October 1957, the delegates to the First General Conference decided to establish the IAEA’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

• The IAEA has 180 Member States.

• India is a founding member of IAEA.

• The IAEA has also two regional offices located in Toronto and Tokyo, as well as two liaison offices in New York City and Geneva. The agency runs laboratories specialised in nuclear technology in Vienna, Seibersdorf and Monaco.

• The IAEA’s policy-making bodies decide on the agency’s programmes and budgets. They comprise the General Conference of all Member States and the 35-member Board of Governors. The General Conference convenes annually at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, typically in September. The Board meets five times per year, also in Vienna.

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