Food Safety officials have seized fish weighing about 46 kg preserved with formalin or formaldehyde that causes digestive disorders and even cancer.
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On receiving information that many traders procuring fish from Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari were preserving them with formalin and selling them to the public even after a few days, Designated Officer for Food Safety Sasi Deepa, Assistant Director of Fisheries G.A. Bushra Shabhnam and Food Safety Officer A.R. Sankaralingam conducted surprise checks at roadside fish stalls near Palayamkottai All Women Police Station in Samathanapuram.
Ms. Bushra checked the fish on the spot with the chemical kit she had brought to ascertain the presence of formalin in the marine products. When she found that the traders had preserved the Barracuda (ooli meen), King Fish (Seela meen) and Trevally Fish (paarai meen), all most sought-after varieties with formalin, the officials seized 28 kg of fish laced with the harmful chemicals and destroyed them at the spot.
The team also seized another 18 kg of fish as they raided fish stalls along Seevalaperi Road and in Shanthi Nagar and Maharaja Nagar for having used formalin for preserving fishes.
“By using this dangerous chemical, which should not be consumed, the traders can keep the fish for a few more days and sell it to consumers. The chemical will cause serious digestive ailments like stomach upset, vomiting and indigestion. The formalin used in the fish will corrode the highly delicate digestive system and seriously affect the kidneys and cause even cancer,” warned Mr. Sankaralingam.