SINGAPORE: The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Saturday (Apr 6) it has been notified by the Malaysia Department of Fisheries (DOF) that mussels found in waters off Port Dickson are contaminated by biotoxins and are not safe for consumption.
DOF deputy director-general (Management) Wan Aznan Abdullah said on Thursday there are harmful algae that cause mussels in Port Dickson waters to be contaminated, making them unsafe to eat.
Negeri Sembilan’s health department said there were eight cases of food poisoning related to the consumption of mussels, with two cases admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
The state of Melaka on Friday also banned the consumption of bivavles until “biotoxin reading reaches permissible levels and mussels are confirmed safe for consumption”.
In response to CNA’s queries, SFA said it is working with importers to verify the source of their mussel imports, and to restrict any supply and sale of implicated mussels from Port Dickson.
It will also continue to work with importers to ensure that mussels are not imported from Malaysian coastal town.
The agency added Singapore imports mussels not only from Malaysia but other countries as well, including China, Japan and Vietnam.
“The industry is able to obtain their supply from different sources. So far, SFA has not detected any biotoxins in our seafood imports, including mussels, in the past few weeks,” it said.
AVOID CONSUMING RAW OR UNDERCOOKED BIVALVES
Bivalves such as mussels are filter feeders and as such, they can readily accumulate bacteria, viruses and toxins in their bodies, said SFA.
“While most of the food safety hazards can be resolved through proper handling or cooking, some marine biotoxins may not be destroyed during the cooking process,” it added.
The agency advised consumers not to harvest and consume shellfish from the wild, as they may contain biotoxins that cannot be removed by cooking.
According to SFA’s website, marine biotoxins which can result in paralytic shellfish poisoning are not destroyed by heat. These toxins are produced by algae and “normally at very low concentrations that do not cause any food safety concern”.
But during an algal bloom, they “can increase to extremely high numbers, causing bivalves to be contaminated”.
“Consumers should always purchase shellfish from SFA-approved businesses, and avoid consuming raw or undercooked bivalves, especially for the young, elderly, immunocompromised or pregnant,” the agency said.