Food Alert - A kind of fish fibers from Taiwan found to contain excessive mercury
summary：The CFS took a sample of the prepackaged fish fibers from a retail shop for testing through its regular Food Surveillance Programme....
Issue Date
2014-08-28
Source of Information
Centre for Food Safety (CFS)
Food Product
Fish fibers
Product name and Description
Product name: BLACK BRIDGE Fried Sword Fish Fibers
Net weight: 170 gram (g) per can
Best before: December 30, 2014
Place of origin: Taiwan
Reason For Issuing Alert
- The CFS took a sample of the prepackaged fish fibers from a retail shop for testing through its regular Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained mercury at a level of 3.5 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the legal limit of 0.5 ppm.
- Based on the level of mercury detected, it is unlikely that the sample would pose any adverse health effect to ordinary adults upon normal consumption.
- Groups particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of mercury, such as pregnant women, women planning pregnancy and young children, should be more mindful.
Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety
- The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the testing result and will undertake prosecution action. The vendor has stopped sale of the affected batch of the product.
- The CFS has also approached the agent concerned to initiate a recall of the affected batch of the product from respective retail shops, and alerted the trade to the incident.
- The CFS will liaise with the Taiwanese authorities, continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate follow-up actions.
Advice to the Trade
- Stop selling the affected batch of the product.
Advice to Consumers
- Not to consume the affected batch of the product.
- To avoid health risks posed by excessive intake of metallic contaminants, people are advised to maintain a balanced and varied diet. Moderate consumption of a variety of fish and fish products is recommended.