Australia: Canned tuna from Thailand under scrutiny

[webfact]

FOOD SAFETY
Canned tuna from Thailand under scrutiny
Agencies



SYDNEY: -- Four people in Sydney are suffering from suspected fish poisoning after eating tuna sandwiches made with fish imported from Thailand, agencies reported Thursday.

The four had ordered the tuna in question from the same cafe.

Health authorities said the tuna, which was served in sandwiches, was suspected to have caused scombroid fish poisoning.

Earlier, News Corporation reported the victims ate at the Soul Origin cafe in the CBD, but authorities have not revealed where the food was purchased.

Meanwhile New South Wales Food Authority said in a statement that it has obtained samples of the product implicated for further testing. It identified the product as John Bull Tuna Chunky Style in Sunflower oil. A note of the tin advised the contents were best consumed before November 2017.

"This is minor brand catering product that is not generally available to the public. The tuna is a product of Thailand imported to Australia by a Victoria company.

The cafe replaced the tuna brand it had been using once notified of the poisoning. Health authorities said the illness is commonly linked to fish that has not been properly stored.

However, the poisoning, which causes similar symptoms to an allergic reaction, is rarely fatal, according to authorities.

"The Public Health Unit of the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District has been alerted to four suspected cases of scombroid fish poisoning associated with eating fish that may not have been properly stored," unit director Mark Ferson said.

"The Public Health Unit has notified the Food Authority which is carrying out further investigations."

The New South Wales Food Authority said the product was an "obscure foreign brand" used predominately in catering and the importer would be contacting all its clients today.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Canned-tuna-from-Thailand-under-scrutiny-30254910.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-26

[trainman34014]

Won't be Thailand's fault.....''Fish come from big Ocean nowhere near Thailand and tins made in Cambodia '' ! Lol.

[ColdSingha]

the hub of bad tuna

[krisb]

Could have been the cafe.

[MrTee]

are these the quality fish I hear so much about?

[uel1968]

Sounds like something fishy is going on!!!!

[chooka]

John Bull Tuna is owned by Mckenzie foods an Australian company based in Melbourne. They moved thier operations to Thailand a few years ago as part of restructuring and cost cutting. If you look at thier cans it will say Australian owned company with the Australian symbol. It will also say imported product. This will be enough for Thailand to void all responsibility on them.

[shirtless]

Tuna could be radiated as its a fish that migrates and swims of Fukushiima ,

[koo wallety tourist]

as far as i am aware, canning kills everything. so it the cafe who are at fault for bad storage.

that said some of the tinned tuna one buys in thailand tastes as if the fish used is close to rotten when it was being tinned. adding salt improves it to edible

Edited February 26, 2015 by koo wallety tourist

[chooka]

are these the quality fish I hear so much about?

John Bull should not be confused with John West. Two different companies. John Bull Tuna is canned in bulk for restaurant and cafes not found in supermarkets.

[chooka]

Could have been the cafe.

At a guess I would say that is it as it appears to be isolated incident so far. Soul Origin have a number of stores and I would say generally that all thier produce would be purchased in bulk from the one supplier. I would say one of the franchises has a laxed no wash hands after toilet policy. Edited February 26, 2015 by chooka

[NeilSA1]

John Bull Tuna is owned by Mckenzie foods an Australian company based in Melbourne. They moved thier operations to Thailand a few years ago as part of restructuring and cost cutting. If you look at thier cans it will say Australian owned company with the Australian symbol. It will also say imported product. This will be enough for Thailand to void all responsibility on them.

It seems 4 people so far may be connected to the word 'void' ( discharge or drain away (water, gases, etc.) whilst Thailand avoids responsibility....

[klauskunkel]

slander, libel, bad-mouthing = law suit at World Court, complaint to UN, boycott World Bank

[tigermonkey]

Nice to know that Channel 9 got it right.- not! The screen shot from Channel 9 proclaims the words " Fresh Food Scare". Never in my experience would I describe canned tuna as "Fresh Food"

[ebean001]

I would bet at the 90% level this is a cafe problem not the thai tuna. There should be many more problems from difference sources. If not,,,then very likely the cafe mistreatment of the food.

[Jim walker]

This is what happens when soldiers run the show pure poison

[xen]

The NSW Food authority has said that the poisoning is something to do with the fish releasing histamines in the freezing/handling process. It has become all a bit hysterical the reaction in Sydney with the Murdoch press doing their best at adding oil to the fire . It is serious enough without added bullshit.

Edited February 27, 2015 by xen

[konying]

John Bull Tuna is owned by Mckenzie foods an Australian company based in Melbourne. They moved thier operations to Thailand a few years ago as part of restructuring and cost cutting. If you look at thier cans it will say Australian owned company with the Australian symbol. It will also say imported product. This will be enough for Thailand to void all responsibility on them.

I am afraid with situations like this no one would be doing the research.

Word is out " product of Thailand " so the blame sticks to thailand

[FangFerang]

as far as i am aware, canning kills everything. so it the cafe who are at fault for bad storage.

that said some of the tinned tuna one buys in thailand tastes as if the fish used is close to rotten when it was being tinned. adding salt improves it to edible

Negative, friend. The type of poisoning is due to a chemical created by improperly stored fish (either on the boat or in the cannery). Such spoilage creates histamines, causing an allergic reaction in people not allergic to fish.

Canning does not break the toxins down. The problem either came from the boat or the cannery, which is no surprise.

If the workers on the boats are slaves, the fish is probably not even considered organic to the captains, and is likely to be viewed more as kilograms than food....

[MrBrad]

The alarming headlines about contaminated tuna packaged in Thailand has the potential to do a lot of damage to all of the tuna industry here. My first thought, before reading the story, was that maybe I should be wary of the canned tuna that I have in my kitchen.

Seeing that it's a specific, commercially-intended brand, one that is not available to the general public (and maybe not to anyone in Thailand, but rather only for export to Australia), I have no concern about eating canned tuna.

But will people read and think beyond the fear-mongering headlines?

[murphya33]

This is what happens when soldiers run the show pure poison

Based on this logic, then for sure you would not be living in poisonous Thailand. Am I right? Unless you have mental problems of course.

[mikeinbangkok]

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There was a time when British Meat was banned in many countries due to the Foot and Mouth decease. I am wondering if that too had anything to do with Thailand:-)

This is what happens when soldiers run the show pure poison

[muffy]

I do noticed that the can Tuna bought in Thailand seems of bad quality , like it is the reject parts of exported Tuna .

[smedly]

This not Thailand problem - if you not buy our tuna then you not get sick

If you not come Thailand then you not have accident - your fault

[Baerboxer]

Could have been the cafe.

I scoffed home made Tuna sandwiches earlier in the week. Cans bought from Big C. No ill affects so far.

[greenchair]

Could have been the cafe.

I thought so too. It's not like they got sick from 4 different places and 4 different cans.

Clearly the cafe owners have either kept the opened fish too long. Or not refrigerated it correctly. The cafe should be inspected and held responsible.

[Trentham]

are these the quality fish I hear so much about?

John Bull should not be confused with John West. Two different companies. John Bull Tuna is canned in bulk for restaurant and cafes not found in supermarkets.

HOWEVER John West also use tuna from Thailand. I had some for my lunch yesterday.

[RigPig]

They need to sack the guy with the plastic bag tied to a stick, he wasn´t waving it fast enough

[Mot Dang]

This not Thailand problem - if you not buy our tuna then you not get sick

If you not come Thailand then you not have accident - your fault

If you don't go Thailand, you no get mental illness - I think called "going tropo".

[KhunAussie52]

Scombroid food poisoning is a foodborne illness that results from eating spoiled (decayed) fish.^[1] Along with ciguatera, it is listed as a common type of seafood poisoning.^[2]

However, it is often missed because it resembles an allergic reaction. It is most commonly reported with mackerel, tuna, bluefish, mahi-mahi, bonito, sardines, anchovies, and related species of fish that were inadequately refrigerated or preserved after being caught. The syndrome derived its name because early descriptions of the illness noted an association with Scombroidea fish (e.g., large dark meat marine tuna, albacore, mackerel); however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified other, nonscombroid vectors, such as mahi-mahi and amberjack. Scombroid syndrome can result from inappropriate handling of fish during storage or processing. One of the toxic agents implicated in scombroid poisoning is histidine, which is broken down into histamine. Other chemicals have been found in decaying fish flesh, but their association with scombroid fish poisoning has not been clearly established.

Source- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scombroid_food_poisoning