Fisheries Minister Jayakumar on Thursday declared that fish across the state was safe to consume and that no trace of formalin had been found in market samples. This is despite the Madurai Food Safety department dumping two tonnes of fish from a market last month after samples tested positive for formalin, a chemical which acts like a preservative and constant consumption of which can lead to cancer.
The Minister made this statement at the state assembly on Thursday, when DMK Cheyyur MLA RT Arasu raised the issue of formalin found in fish markets in the state. Formalin, which is a derivative of formaldehyde, is used to preserve fish and consumption of formalin leads to nausea, dizziness and could lead to cancer if eaten on a long-term basis.
Replying to the MLA, Jayakumar claimed that the fish which was dumped was not laced with the chemical. The Minister stated that the product was dumped because it was found to be 'stale' and not because of the result of spot tests.
However, speaking to TNM, a senior Food Safety official who was part of the raid in Madurai said that the results of spot testing on the fish had been nothing short of shocking. “We have had this problem for 30 years now, where formalin is applied on fish to preserve it. But this time, we found the chemical present in all 56 shops where we tested produce. We took the experiment kit with us to the spot and tested it on 60 samples of 15 kg each and all of them had high dosages of the chemical,” he said. "We dumped all the fish in crates where samples tested positive," he added.
In fact, following this raid, districts across the state including Chennai, began conducting surprise checks on fish stalls.
Speaking to TNM, following the minister's claim, a food safety official from Chennai says that they have been conducting tests in phases and without warning and that spot tests so far have not revealed the presence of the chemical.
"We have however given samples to labs for testing. And the results for those are yet to come back. In Chennai at least, for the last two years, we have not had any positive samples. In areas like Madurai and other districts which are cut off from the sea, the likelihood of using the preservative is higher," he explains.
When TNM had asked the Madurai official about the source of the fish, he had said that it came from another state.
“When we ask the vendors, they say that they got it from boats coming from Kerala and Andhra, and that they weren’t aware of the use of formalin,” said the Madurai official. “Their claims of ignorance are largely untrue. But there is no provision to fine or take immediate action against them. All we can do is take the matter to court. And it is not possible for the department to legally fight every case."
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