Food Safety Focus (72nd Issue, July 2012) – Food Incident Highlight

Tetrodotoxin in Grilled Grouper Snack

On 15 June 2012, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) issued a food alert warning the public not to consume a kind of grilled grouper snack as the product might have been mixed with pufferfish and found containing tetrodotoxin.

Tetrodotoxin is a potent toxin often associated with the intake of pufferfish. The symptoms of tetrodotoxin intoxication include numbness sensation in the face and extremities, followed by progressive paralysis, and respiratory distress. With high dose exposure, death may occur. The onset of symptoms occurs from 10 to 45 minutes after ingestion, but may be delayed by three hours.

The CFS advised the public not to consume and return the affected products to the company. As a precautionary measure, grilled grouper snacks of other flavours of the same brand should be avoided. The company initiated a product recall and the CFS has issued a warning letter. Follow-up samples will be collected for testing if the same product is found available in the market again.

The affected product "ACE Family" grilled grouper