The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Saturday (Apr 6) it has been notified by the Malaysia Department of Fisheries (DOF) that mussels found in waters off Port Dickson are contaminated by biotoxins and are not safe for consumption.
DOF deputy director-general (Management) Wan Aznan Abdullah said on Thursday there are harmful algae that cause mussels in Port Dickson waters to be contaminated, making them unsafe to eat.
Negeri Sembilan’s health department said there were eight cases of food poisoning related to the consumption of mussels, with two cases admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
The state of Melaka on Friday also banned the consumption of bivavles until “biotoxin reading reaches permissible levels and mussels are confirmed safe for consumption”.
In response to CNA’s queries, SFA said it is working with importers to verify the source of their mussel imports, and to restrict any supply and sale of implicated mussels from Port Dickson.
It will also continue to work with importers to ensure that mussels are not imported from Malaysian coastal town.
The agency added Singapore imports mussels not only from Malaysia but other countries as well, including China, Japan and Vietnam.
