Fish sauce factory. (Photo: Stefan/CC BY 2.0)

Fish sauce reported to contain excessive arsenic

VIET NAM
Wednesday, October 19, 2016, 02:10 (GMT + 9)

A study performed by the Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association (Vinastas) determined that nearly 70 per cent of fish sauce samples taken contains excessive amounts of arsenic.

Vinastas informed that the survey covered 150 samples produced by 88 different fish sauce manufacturers and found that only 16.67 per cent of the products met Vietnamese standards, Tuoi Tre News reported.

According to the test, 67.33 per cent of the samples contained more than the maximum allowable arsenic content limit of 1mg per litre. Amounts found in the surveyed products ranged from 1 to 5mg/l.

The samples were collected from fish sauce products available at trade centres, small markets and food stores in ten different provinces and cities.

The test focused on five parameters, among them nitrogen and arsenic contents and labelling, with 83.33 per cent of the samples failing to meet standards on at least one parameter.

“The most noticeable violation was in the real protein content of products being much lower than claimed on the label,” the association commented.

Vuong Ngoc Thuan, Vinastas deputy general secretary, reassured that the arsenic found in fish sauce is in its organic form.

According to the World Health Organization, arsenic is highly toxic in its inorganic form, and long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions. It has also been associated with developmental defects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity and diabetes.

“There were no traces of inorganic arsenic found in the surveyed fish sauces,” Thuan said. “So it can be confirmed that Vietnamese fish sauces remain safe."

However, Thuan added that the manufacturers’ incorrect labelling of the protein content means Vietnamese consumers are overpaying for fish sauce.

“Consumers shouldn’t be buying a product with a low protein content at the same price as one with a high protein content,” he said.

The Vietnam Food Administration said it is also reviewing the fish sauce market and will report their results to the government.

Fish sauce, an amber-colored liquid extracted from the fermentation of fish with sea salt, is a must-have condiment for Vietnamese families, with 95 per cent of households using the product in their meals.

Official statistics reveal that Vietnamese people consume some 200 million liters of fish sauce a year, but only 50 million litres of it is produced in the traditional way through fish fermentation. The rest is industrially manufactured by mixing fish essence, flavoring, coloring, preservatives and sweetener.

 
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

Print