Poisonous Pufferfish Balls Found At Samut Sakhon Fish Factory

[webfact]

Poisonous pufferfish balls found at Samut Sakhon fish factory

By Coconuts Bangkok

SAMUT SAKHON: -- The owners of a fish processing factory in Samut Sakhon are in deep water after inspections turned up traces of poisonous pufferfish in their fishballs.

Flesh from the toxic puffers – which live in the tropical waters around Thailand – was also found in the plant’s “Smiling Fish” brand fish strings.

We guess the owners of the plant – in Tha Cheen Subdistrict of the coastal province – aren’t smiling anymore.

Phiphat Yingseree, secretary-general of Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration, said inspectors’ suspicions were aroused when they noticed some of the factory’s products hadn’t been labelled properly. [more...]

Full story: http://www.coconutsb...n-fish-factory/

-- COCONUTSBangkok 2012-08-01

[BuckarooBanzai]

How big are pufferfish balls anyway? Need to know what to look for.

[Thai at Heart]

Nice to see the mainstream press is on this one.

[colinneil]

Be safe do not eat fish balls

[FOODLOVER]

Don' t look at me like that. I did not take your balls!

[Soutpeel]

Nice to see the mainstream press is on this one.

If the fishballs are cooked properly doesnt this breakdown the posion ?....not saying what they have done is alright...want to know for my own interest

[jerrysteve]

BuckerooBanzi: How big they are isn't the issue, how potent they are is...Thats for dam sure!

[FOODLOVER]

Nice to see the mainstream press is on this one.

If the fishballs are cooked properly doesnt this breakdown the posion ?....not saying what they have done is alright...want to know for my own interest

No, cooking does not break down the toxins.

[noitom]

This puffer fish poison fish ball thing has been around for years. Last story was about coppers finding a truck on its way to Bangkok markets loaded with two tons of puffer fish meat. No newspaper follow up was ever observed. Seconding other posts, stay away from fish balls - street or packaged.

The puffer fish flesh is cheap, so the Thais try to use it instead of other non lethal fish.

[Thai at Heart]

Nice to see the mainstream press is on this one.

If the fishballs are cooked properly doesnt this breakdown the posion ?....not saying what they have done is alright...want to know for my own interest

Don't know, but then, a quick swish to warm them up in a sukkiyaki bowl or luke warm noodle soup hardly qualifies as cooking properly I fear.

http://www.omg-facts...iew/Facts/45861

Don't know if this is a reliable source, but anyway.....

Pufferfish poison is resistant to cooking, and there is no known antidote for it. This means that the slightest error in cooking can kill the person eating it. The chef has to remove the liver, ovaries and intestines of the fish in order to remove the poison.

Read more at

http://www.omg-facts...GEeaqjGOiUs1.99

Edited August 1, 2012 by tombkk
: I don't know how you changed the background colour (to dark blue), but at least now I have changed the font to white to make it readable.

[Soupdragon]

I think a nice dinner should be prepared for the owners of the factories families.

Fish ball soup.

Fish ball and rice

Fish ball icecream

See how hungry they are.

[animatic]

Hub of Toxic Fish Balls.

There goes another industry in the hopper for a few months.

They never seem to learn here, buy what every comes in the door at a good price and dam_n the consequences.

[animatic]

Nice to see the mainstream press is on this one.

If the fishballs are cooked properly doesnt this breakdown the posion ?....not saying what they have done is alright...want to know for my own interest

Don't know, but then, a quick swish to warm them up in a sukkiyaki bowl or luke warm noodle soup hardly qualifies as cooking properly I fear.

http://www.omg-facts...iew/Facts/45861

Don't know if this is a reliable source, but anyway.....

Pufferfish poison is resistant to cooking, and there is no known antidote for it. This means that the slightest error in cooking can kill the person eating it. The chef has to remove the liver, ovaries and intestines of the fish in order to remove the poison.

Read more at

http://www.omg-facts...GEeaqjGOiUs1.99

Can't disagree with this. In Japan it is called Fugu and can be had in Bangkok.

The intime or sushi chef MUST be licensed after a rigorous training course,

to have a regularly renewed license to prepare this.

Even so at least once a year someone drops dead in 10-15 minutes after eating some.

I can't imagine the fishball industry has better cleaning tolerances that the fastidious Sushi chefs in japan.

Just warned the wife to not buy fishballs for a month at least.

Worse yet is the long shelf life 'fish strings' that may get delivered

and sit in wait for the unsuspecting, and no one may recognize why the person dies from them...

[Soutpeel]

Nice to see the mainstream press is on this one.

If the fishballs are cooked properly doesnt this breakdown the posion ?....not saying what they have done is alright...want to know for my own interest

Don't know, but then, a quick swish to warm them up in a sukkiyaki bowl or luke warm noodle soup hardly qualifies as cooking properly I fear.

http://www.omg-facts...iew/Facts/45861

Don't know if this is a reliable source, but anyway.....

Pufferfish poison is resistant to cooking, and there is no known antidote for it. This means that the slightest error in cooking can kill the person eating it. The chef has to remove the liver, ovaries and intestines of the fish in order to remove the poison.

Read more at

http://www.omg-facts...GEeaqjGOiUs1.99

Strangley enough was watching something on NatGeo or Discovery yesterday on this exact topic with a Japanese chef going through the whole process...In japan 5 years training to get certified by the goverment to prepare properly, internals of the fish disposed of in lockable bins etc etc...very involved process to make sure you dont kill someone....wonder if they do all this in Thailand ? he says with dripping sarcasm

[Mosha]

^^ The trained chefs in Japan are apparently up in arms. There are moves to shorten the training to months if not weeks.

[jaltsc]

Puffer fish have balls? I didn't even know they had legs.

[ralphlsasser]

I think it's an international law that a resturant must have a license to serve pufferfish.

[SuneeTH]

In Japan, this is a very expensive fish to eat.

So count yourselves luck to have cheap Fugu in Thailand.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phuson/4587862583/

[Soutpeel]

I think it's an international law that a resturant must have a license to serve pufferfish.

I think your wrong, Japan has national licensing requirements, and beleive this is what you are getting confused with

[Soutpeel]

In Japan, this is a very expensive fish to eat.

So count yourselves luck to have cheap Fugu in Thailand.

http://www.flickr.co...son/4587862583/

And any one considering the demise of a close family member....this would be the perfect crime....blame the fish balls LOL.....now what was the name of that company again...?.....

Mrs Soutpeel, my dear, how do you fancy fishballs and rice for dinner tonight...LOL

Edited August 1, 2012 by Soutpeel

[SuneeTH]

snip

Strangley enough was watching something on NatGeo or Discovery yesterday on this exact topic with a Japanese chef going through the whole process...In japan 5 years training to get certified by the goverment to prepare properly, internals of the fish disposed of in lockable bins etc etc...very involved process to make sure you dont kill someone....wonder if they do all this in Thailand ? he says with dripping sarcasm

I think many Japanese restaurant use cheap migrant worker from Thailand because they are cheaper and more skillful.

So no worries eating Fugu in Thailand.

[Soutpeel]

snip

Strangley enough was watching something on NatGeo or Discovery yesterday on this exact topic with a Japanese chef going through the whole process...In japan 5 years training to get certified by the goverment to prepare properly, internals of the fish disposed of in lockable bins etc etc...very involved process to make sure you dont kill someone....wonder if they do all this in Thailand ? he says with dripping sarcasm

I think many Japanese restaurant use cheap migrant worker from Thailand because they are cheaper and more skillful.

So no worries eating Fugu in Thailand.

Yeap got it....japanese puffer fish not same same a Thai puffer fish, you farangs just dont understand

[jerrysteve]

It makes one wonder if those 2 Canadian could have ingested a Puffer Fish Poison into their system possibly from the water supply the

used to catch the fist I presume they ate.

I wonder if an autopsy could detect that. Correct me if I am wrong, but did that initial finding say there was a lot of vomit in the room..

[scorecard]

snip

Strangley enough was watching something on NatGeo or Discovery yesterday on this exact topic with a Japanese chef going through the whole process...In japan 5 years training to get certified by the goverment to prepare properly, internals of the fish disposed of in lockable bins etc etc...very involved process to make sure you dont kill someone....wonder if they do all this in Thailand ? he says with dripping sarcasm

I think many Japanese restaurant use cheap migrant worker from Thailand because they are cheaper and more skillful.

So no worries eating Fugu in Thailand.

More skillful than your fastidiously trained Japanese sushi chef who approach this work very seriously, and as an art?

Your joking of course.

Edited August 1, 2012 by scorecard

[Artisi]

Sounds like a real "balls-up".

[h90]

How big are pufferfish balls anyway? Need to know what to look for.

that fish can pump water into his balls so they appear bigger to impress the female fishes.

[craigt3365]

The plant owners will be charged with manufacturing food for distribution with incorrect labeling, punishable by a maximum fine of THB30,000, and manufacturing food for distribution containing pufferfish, which carries a sentence of six months to two years and a fine of THB5,000 – THB20,000.

Hardly a serious fine. Probably be fined 10,000 Baht with a suspended jail sentence.

[ratcatcher]

In Japan, this is a very expensive fish to eat.

So count yourselves luck to have cheap Fugu in Thailand.

http://www.flickr.co...son/4587862583/

Maybe this restaurant serves Fugu then?

[sunshine51]

Puffer Fish = Fugu.

If not prepared correctly the first thing one notices is a tingling

in their mouth....then numbness....then...well...death. There's

better & safer fish to eat provided one actually see's the

entire fish they're about to have cooked or cook it themselves.

Cheap fine though...especially since death could happened

as a result of eating the fish balls.

Wiki Symptoms/Treatment....

The symptoms from ingesting a lethal dose of tetrodotoxin may

include dizziness, exhaustion, headache, nausea, or difficulty

breathing. The victim remains conscious but cannot speak or

move. Breathing stops and asphyxiation follows.

There is no known antidote, and treatment consists of emptying

the stomach, feeding the victim activated charcoal to bind the

toxin, and putting the victim on life support until the poison has

worn off. Japanese toxicologists in several medical research

centers^[who?] are now working on developing an antidote for

tetrodotoxin.

From the webs Medical Dictionary...

The most common symptoms of fugu poisioning are tingling

and burning of the mouth and tongue, numbness, drowsiness,

and incoherent speech. These symptoms usually occur 30

minutes to two hours after ingestion of the fish, depending on

the amount of toxin ingested. In severe cases, ataxia (the

inability to coordinate the movements of muscles), muscle

weakness, hypotension (low blood pressure) and cardiac

arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat) may develop, followed by

muscle twitching and respiratory paralysis, and death can

occur. In several cases, people died within 17 minutes after

eating pufferfish.

Treatment....

There is no antidote for fugu poisoning, therefore treatment

is limited to supportive measures and the removal of the

unabsorbed toxin.

[mozzieslapper]

What is the brand name of this factory?