Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ6: Food poisoning caused by consumption of puffer fish

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Yung-kan and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (January 9):

Question:

It has been reported that some traders in markets openly sell poisonous puffer fish to members of the public for consumption, endangering the health of the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council of:

(a) the number of cases in each of the past three years in which people were poisoned after consuming puffer fish, whether there were any fatal cases among them, and whether it is aware of the channels through which the puffer fish was obtained;

(b) the number and the details of prosecutions instituted in the past three years against people selling puffer fish; and

(c) the measures it will adopt to prevent traders from selling puffer fish and remind members of the public not to consume puffer fish recklessly, and whether it will follow the overseas practice of stipulating by legislation that only restaurants with special permits are allowed to sell puffer fish cooked by qualified chefs; if such legislation will not be enacted, of the reasons for that?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) Since 2005, the Department of Health has recorded nine food poisoning cases caused by consumption of puffer fish affecting a total of 19 persons. There is no fatal case. It is noted that among these nine cases, the puffer fish in six cases were caught from the sea by the public while the puffer fish in one case was given by a friend. The puffer fish in the remaining two cases were reportedly bought from a market and a temporary stall respectively.

As required by the Marine Fish (Marketing) Ordinance (Cap. 291), all fresh marine fish is required to be wholesaled at the wholesale fish markets run by the Fish Marketing Organisation (FMO). Records of the FMO show that no puffer fish has been offered for sale at its wholesale fish markets.

Puffer fish is a fish species containing tetrodotoxin under the order of Tetraodontiformes. Tetrodotoxin is a potent marine neurotoxin found in the body of puffer fish, mainly in the eggs, liver and skin. Tetrodotoxin is heat-stable and cannot be decomposed by cooking.

As estimated by experts, the lethal dose of tetrodotoxin in human is around 1mg to 2 mg and the minimum dose necessary to cause symptoms of poisoning is 0.2 mg. There are currently no known antidotes or antitoxins to tetrodotoxin. The treatment of symptoms is supportive in nature for relieving the symptoms. Puffer fish is therefore considered to be a very high risk food.

(b) Section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) (the Ordinance) provides that any person selling food unfit for human consumption commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months. Food traders must therefore ensure that the food they sell is fit for human consumption. As puffer fish may contain toxin, officers of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) would advise the trader to stop selling it, if its sale is found in markets or other shops during their inspections to these premises. If the trader fails to follow the advice, officers of the FEHD can invoke the power under section 59 of the Ordinance to seize, remove and conduct testing on the puffer fish. FEHD would take prosecution against the trader if the test result indicates that the puffer fish is not fit for human consumption.

In the past three years, five verbal warnings were given by officers of FEHD in connection with the sale of puffer fish and related species. As the results of the test on the puffer fish and the related products seized indicated that they were non-toxic and there was no evidence to prove that the food sold by the traders was unfit for human consumption, no prosecution had been taken against the traders concerned by the FEHD.

(c) The Government has always attached great importance to food safety and public health. We put much emphasis on communication and collaboration with the trade and the public so as to encourage members of the trade to become responsible food suppliers. We also help the public make safe and healthy choices through education and dissemination of information. Apart from law enforcement action on food safety, the Government has been providing the public and the trade with information on the hazards of tetrodotoxin and offering advice on prevention of poisoning through the periodic publications on food safety and other information materials.

The above figures of food poisoning caused by consumption of puffer fish show that the puffer fish in most of the cases were not bought from the market but were associated with catches from the sea by members of the public. The Government has been advising the public that the most effective way to prevent tetrodotoxin poisoning is to avoid purchasing and consuming puffer fish or other unknown fish.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Note 1) has not issued any guidelines or recommendations on the sale and preparation of puffer fish for consumption. According to our understanding, licensing on sale and preparation of puffer fish in restaurants is not found in other places except Japan.

To better protect public health, the Government is formulating a Food Safety Bill. Import control on different types of food (including aquatic products) will be strengthened under the Bill. In addition to requiring all importers of fish or aquatic products to register with the Food Safety Authority, the proposed Bill also proposes that each consignment of imported fish or aquatic products must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the health authorities of the place of origin. For certain high risk aquatic products, like ready-to-eat seafood intended for raw consumption, we are further considering more stringent requirement, such as the issue of an import licence for each consignment. We are seeking the views from the trade on the Bill. We plan to introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council in the 2008-09 legislative session.


Note 1: Codex Alimentarius Commission is a body established under the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Health Organisation to develop food standards and guidelines.


Ends/Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Issued at HKT 13:40

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