A recent decision at the 47th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) to include Sardinella lemuru, locally known as tamban, in the Codex for fish and fishery products is set to open new markets for one of the Philippines’ key fish exports.
CAC was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization to develop and adopt international food safety standards to protect consumers and ensure fair practices in international food trade.
“This is welcome news for the local fishery industry, a major export earner for the Philippines. This should stimulate new investments in the sector and create new jobs,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.
The inclusion of the sardine species in the Codex follows six years of advocacy and technical discussions led by the Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI).
Dr. Ulysses Montojo, chairperson of the NFRDI’s Subcommittee on Fish and Fishery Products, spearheaded the initiative to complete the technical requirements for the wild stocks of Sardinella lemuru in the Philippines. The study, supported by a P17 million funding from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Research, fulfilled the technical criteria necessary for the species’ inclusion in the Codex.
Tamban, a sardine species native to the Eastern Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific, had previously faced setbacks in European markets. Between 2016 and 2017, several EU countries rejected imports of canned sardines labeled as Sardinella lemuru, citing its non-inclusion in the EU’s Codex Standard for Canned Sardines and Sardine-Type Products (CXS 94-1981). This rejection resulted in the loss of hundreds of metric tons in exports, underscoring the need for the Codex to be updated.
The process to include the species began in 2018 when the EU Fisheries Agency encouraged the Philippines to pursue adding Sardinella lemuru to the Codex Standard. After years of technical reviews and deliberations, the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products approved the inclusion in 2024, highlighting the species’ comparable sensory qualities to other sardine species and the sustainability of its fish stocks.
“We thank the European Union for supporting this effort, which will significantly benefit our fisheries and the sardine industry,” said Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Drusila Ester Bayate.
In 2022, sardines ranked as the Philippines’ seventh-largest fish export, accounting for 2.7% of the total 282,674 metric tons of fish exports. Key European markets—Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain—made up 12% of the country’s sardine exports. With the new inclusion in the Codex, Philippine sardine products are expected to gain wider access to these markets, ensuring a sustainable future for local fishermen and exporters while contributing to global sustainability goals.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that in 2024, sardine export volume reached 9,154.31 metric tons, valued at USD19.5 million. This represents a significant increase from 6,095.77 metric tons worth USD14.7 million in 2023. ### (Photo by National Stock Assessment Program, DA-BFAR & NFRDI)
