Fish is a perishable commodity. Producers can process fish into salted fish to make it more durable, but producers still add harmful food additives to increase the product’s shelf life. The government prohibits the use of formalin as a food additive. This study aimed to identify salted fish traders’ knowledge of formalin abuse and obtain a strategy to minimize formalin abuse in salted fish. The research method was carried out by giving questionnaires, interviews and using the Strategic Assumption Surfacing and Testing (SAST) method. The results showed that the seller’s knowledge was still low regarding the salted fish products sold, food additives, food product preservation, the lack of socialization about food safety, and the characteristics of formalin products. The chosen strategy is based on the level of importance and the level of certainty to minimize the misuse of formalin, namely socialization to sellers and buyers regarding formalin, the dangers and how to use it and the manufacture of portable detection kits/tools that are easy to use and accurate results.