The Hindu : Kerala News : Concern over sale of chemically contaminated fish

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 30, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Concern over sale of chemically contaminated fish

Special Correspondent

Fish, especially oil sardines, is contaminated with ammonium chloride

KOCHI: Chemically contaminated fish arriving from Tamil Nadu is said to be widely sold in Kochi and Alappuzha.

The fish, especially oil sardines (chaala), is said to be contaminated with ammonium chloride (navasaaram).

The chemical is used to keep sardines, whose shelf life is short, from getting decayed. The fish is either sprinkled with or dipped in a solution of ammonium chloride. Consumption of the ammonium chloride-contaminated fish is hazardous to health, T.S.G. Iyer, a food safety expert, told The Hindu. Addition of harmful chemical preservatives violates the provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, he said.

It is also against the norms of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) which is the international standard for food safety, Dr. Iyer pointed out.

Fish industry sources said the contaminated fish was entering the Kerala markets via Kaliyikkavila and Walayar checkposts. They pointed out that ammonium chloride used to be commonly applied as a preservative to make raw fish look fresh.

However, this was almost abandoned in the wake of a row over return of contaminated and unhygienic seafood exported to Europe and the U.S. in the late 1990s. The detection of ammonium chloride in the sardines in the Kochi and Alappuzha markets in the past couple of weeks shows that the practice has not faded.

Shortage of sardines

It is the shortage of sardines and other cheap varieties of pelagic fish in Kochi and Alappuzha belt that has spurred the import from Tamil Nadu. The withdrawal of the monsoon rain for nearly three weeks after its arrival in Kerala pretty early this time contributed to the shortage of sardines.

Pelagic fish become abundant in the Kerala waters during the monsoon period.

Fall in the fish catch in Kerala is usually compensated by arrivals from Tamil Nadu and Mangalore. In normal course, sardines get rotten by the time they arrive here and hence the dealers in Tamil Nadu apply the harmful chemical to forestall the decay.

Fish dealers and hawkers here are well aware of the practice, sources said. It is quite hard for lay people to check the fish for ammonium chloride contamination by the look of the fish.

However, there is a marked difference in the taste. Also, the fish becomes rigid and wooden and the flesh becomes dark, sources said.

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