The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has announced measures to restrict the sale and supply of mussels from Malaysia’s Port Dickson due to contamination. The SFA received notification from the Malaysia Department of Fisheries (DOF) that mussels found in the waters off Port Dickson have been contaminated by Biotoxins, making them unsafe for consumption.
According to DOF’s deputy director-general (Management) Wan Aznan Abdullah, harmful algae in the Port Dickson waters have contaminated the mussels. This has led to eight cases of food poisoning in Negeri Sembilan, with two cases requiring intensive care.
The SFA is collaborating with importers to verify the source of their mussel imports. The agency is determined to restrict the supply and sale of implicated mussels from Port Dickson. Furthermore, the SFA will continue its vigilance, working closely with importers to ensure that mussels are not being imported from this Malaysian coastal town.
Singapore imports mussels from various countries, including China, Japan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The SFA emphasized that biotoxins have not been detected in seafood imports, including mussels, over the past few weeks.
To mitigate risks, the SFA advised consumers to avoid consuming raw or undercooked bivalves, as they are filter feeders and can accumulate bacteria, viruses, and toxins in their bodies. While most food safety hazards can be eliminated through proper handling and cooking, certain marine biotoxins remain unaffected during the cooking process. Therefore, the agency warned against harvesting and consuming shellfish from the wild as they may contain biotoxins that cannot be removed through cooking.
Marine biotoxins, which can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, are not destroyed by heat. Usually, these toxins are present in low concentrations that pose no food safety concerns. However, during algal blooms, their numbers can significantly increase, leading to contamination of bivalves.
To ensure food safety, the SFA urged consumers to purchase shellfish only from approved businesses. This is particularly important for vulnerable populations such as the young, elderly, immunocompromised, and pregnant individuals.
