To: Seafood Community
Yesterday (May 24, 2007), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
posted on its web site a consumer warning on imported mislabeled
monkfish believed to be puffer fish at:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01639.html
A total of 282, 22-lb. boxes of monkfish were distributed by one
importer to wholesalers in Illinois, California and Hawaii beginning in
September 2006. (Currently the importer and FDA are investigating how
this problem occurred.) This product was sold in retail stores,
restaurants, and cash and carry stores in these regions. Eating puffer
fish that contain this potent toxin can result in serious illness or
death.
The FDA web site also has additional information:
* Press release of the firm recalling the product:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/hongchang05_07.html
A photo of the shipping box label is at:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/photos/hongchang05_07.html
* In the US, puffer fish are subject to strict importing
requirements under FDA's Import Alert 16-20 which represents the
Agency's current guidance to industry on pufferfish:
http://www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia1620.html
* FDA's Bad Bug Book describes the toxic nature of tetrodotoxin
(the cause of pufferfish poisoning, tetradon poisoning, fugu poisoning).
http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap39.html
Pamela Tom
Seafood Extension Program Manager
University of California
Food Science and Technology Department
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616 USA
E-mail: pdtom@ucdavis.edu Fax: 530/752-4759
Web: http://seafood.ucdavis.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri May 25 2007 - 09:52:09 PDT