Health ministry regulates foreign sardine brands

PUTRAJAYA, June 27 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry has taken regulatory measures on the sardine brand from China which was reported to contain a worm, said Health Director-General  Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.



He said no individual had become a victim after accidentally consuming the sardine.



"No one had become victims. The worm found in the sardine was dead and not alive," he told reporters after a post-cabinet meeting with Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad at the Health Ministry, here today.



The Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (MAQIS) was reported to have discovered the worm which could cause anisakiasis disease to humans in a sample of sardine can from China which was brought in through the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT), Penang on May 14.



MAQIS Director-General Datuk Mokhtarud-din Husain said the worm which was discovered through physical examination and sampling on several sardine cans which arrived in two containers of 'Canned Mackerel in Tomato Sauce' with the brand name RANESA was held at the NBCT with an estimated weight of 36,720 kilograms worth RM199,797.24.



The worm was likely to be from the genus Anisakis spp which could cause the anisakiasis disease to humans who usually consumed sea food such as raw fish or not fully cooked which was infected by the parasite.



Anisakiasis is a parasitic and zoonotic disease brought by fish caused by the nematode Anisakis spp (worm) which attacks the gastrointestinal system such as the stomach and intestines of humans and can cause gastrointestinal problems or symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.



-- BERNAMA