Products With Malachite Green Safe - Dr Chua

KLANG, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry today declared all canned fish products imported from China with "malachite green" at most 2 parts per billion (ppb) as safe for consumption.
Its Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the ministry's Food Safety and Quality Department (BKKM) had set 2 ppb as the "administrative level", an extremely low quantity and safe for consumption.
Furthermore, it is not listed as a scheduled substance under the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985 which states presence of such substance in food is prohibited.
"The maximum amount allowed by the European Union is 2 ppb while in Japan at 5 ppb," he told reporters after visiting the Day Treatment Complex at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) Hospital here Friday.
"Malachite green" is traditionally used in aquaculture industry to treat fungus and parasites in fishes as its cheap, easily available and effective. However, its use is restricted to ornamental fishes only.
Last November, "malachite green" in canned fishes from China came under BKKM's scrutiny as the substance is believed to be a potential in-vivo mutagent.
To keep in check the substance, the department has taken several steps including 'stop-test-let go' at entry points where samples with high levels of "malachite green" would not be allowed into the local markets.
He said, in the local market BKKM had confiscated eight brands of canned fish from China and had taken 24 samples in Port Klang and eight samples in Sibu for analysis.
"Initial analysis up to Jan 4 found that three samples in the market and two from the ports had the substance above the permissible level," he said.