Veno Fish Farm A/S has an extensive cleansing process for our oysters. The first step is the external cleaning, where all foreign matter (seaweed, barnacles, mussels, slipper-limpets, mud etc.) is removed. Many organisms attach themselves to the oyster shell, so sometimes a deal of physical effort with a chisel and a wire-brush is required to remove them.

The next step is to sort the oysters by weight (see VenOysters). Following this, the oysters are carefully laid hinge-down in net-trays and are washed with fresh water. All oysters which weigh less than 80 grams are returned to the Limfjord for another growing season.

After the physical, external cleaning the oysters are transferred to the depuration unit. Here the water is first mechanically filtered down to 40 µm (0.04 mm). Next, the water passes through a chamber where it is exposed to ultraviolet-C radiation. UV-C light has germicidal properties, particularly when at a wavelength of around 254-nanometers. It kills vira, bacteria, protozoa, molds, algae and other microbes by damaging their DNA.

Samples from every batch of our oysters are sent for microbiological testing at accredited laboratories after three days of purification. The results enable us to document both the safety of the oysters as well as the effectiveness of our depuration unit.

It is very important for us that our customers regard our oysters as quality products in which they can have confidence.

In compliance with the stringent EU food hygiene regulations, our ongoing HACCP-program monitors parameters such as water quality, the presence of algae and bacteria levels.

In this way we ensure that our oysters at a minimum meet the Danish food safety laws (which on some points our own quality requirements exceed). We are, of course, subject to frequent random visits by inspectors from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.

This enables us to guarantee all of our customers a thoroughly controlled, top-quality product.

Our customers can, with complete confidence and safety enjoy one of the most exquisite and sought-after delicacies known – VenOysters.