The discovery of a carcinogenic parasiticide in fish sold in Henan
Province has prompted a demand for nationwide inspections, but
Beijing authorities said laboratory tests will not be possible for
another two weeks.
Malachite green was found in fish at the Liulin seafood market
in Zhengzhou, Henan's capital, and traced back to suppliers from
neighboring Hubei
Province, according to a Ministry of Agriculture notice on July
7.
It said the suspect fish are sold mainly in Beijing, Tianjin,
Shanghai as well as in Henan and Jiangxi
provinces, and called for local departments to carry out checks for
the chemical, banned from food products in 2002.
Today's China Daily reported that the ministry issued
reassurances to the public on Tuesday, and a statement from the
fishery bureau is expected today.
Beijing's Food Safety Office said a survey will be conducted as
soon as possible on the capital's fish markets once an inspection
reagent is available, but because they do not normally test for it
this will take two weeks.
The city's Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine said it was
going to meet to discuss the issue and is trying to buy reagents
abroad, which is expected to take three weeks.
Six weeks ago, the UK Food Standards Agency said it had found
unacceptable levels of the chemical in organically farmed salmon
sold in Morrisons, a large supermarket chain there, and there have
been reports of similar finds in Slovakian rainbow trout a
fortnight ago.
Malachite green (also called aniline green) has been used to
treat parasites, fungal infections, and bacterial infections in
fish and fish eggs. It is banned in aquaculture in many countries
for being highly toxic.
According to industry insiders, most fish transporters use
malachite green to disinfect their transporting vehicles for higher
fish survival rates. Many live fish storage facilities and hotels
also use it to keep fish alive for longer. Its use also means that
dead fish are preserved, and can be mistaken for being alive and
motionless.
(China.org.cn by Wind Gu, July 13, 2005)