Banned drugs found in 8 samples of mullet from the market

The use of banned drugs in fish is a serious problem! The Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health announced the latest results of the "Monitoring of Drug Use in Commercial Food Animals". In May, a total of 67 commercially available aquatic products were sampled in Taiwan, and 9 of them were found to contain banned drugs. Among them, as many as 8 of the illegal products were snappers, and a total of 3 different banned drugs were detected.

The Department of Health announced the latest results of the "Monitoring of Drug Use in Commercial Food Animals". In May, a total of 67 commercially available aquatic products were sampled in Taiwan, and 9 of them were found to contain banned drugs, of which 8 were actually snappers. (Photo/taken from Shuishan Fresh Food website)

According to the "Animal Drug Residue Standards", no nitrofuran metabolites should be detected in shellfish, and no reduced malachite green and sulfonamide drugs should be detected in fish. As a result, nitrofuran metabolites were detected in 1 piece of snapper, reduced malachite green was detected in 3 pieces of sea bass, and 5 pieces of sea bass contained 1~2 sulfonamide drugs. In 1 piece of sea bass sampled from Taipei City, the sulfamethoxazole exceeded the standard by 93.8 times.

The Food and Drug Administration explains that nitrofuran drugs are broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. Due to the risk of carcinogenicity and gene mutagenesis, countries such as the European Union and the United States have announced a ban on their use in food-producing animals. Taiwan has also completely banned the use of nitrofuran drugs in animals since June 1, 2004. Therefore, metabolites of nitrofuran animal drugs "shall not be detected" in aquatic products.

Reduced malachite green and its metabolites are illegally used in farmed aquatic animals to prevent them from being infected by parasites, fungi and protozoa. However, research results on experimental animals show that malachite green can poison the livers of experimental animals, cause anemia and thyroid abnormalities, and induce tumors in the livers of experimental mice. The United States, the European Union, Canada and other countries have banned the use of malachite green in farmed aquatic animals for human consumption. Our country also stipulates that malachite green and reduced malachite green "shall not be detected" in aquatic products.

Sulfonamide drugs include Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfathiazole, and Sulfaquinoxaline, which have antibacterial effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Although they can be used to treat bacterial infections in chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle, they are not for use in aquatic animals. Therefore, the regulations for residues in aquatic products are "not to be detected."

The Food and Drug Administration said that it has notified the local health bureau to work with agricultural agencies to investigate the source of illegal fish supplies, the cause of residues, and whether the breeding environment is polluted. At the same time, to ensure food safety and hygiene, consumers are reminded that when purchasing livestock, poultry and aquatic products, it is best to choose those with clear sources and production and sales record verification marks.