Do not panic over worms in canned fish – Expert

KUALA TERENGGANU: Malaysians should be careful when choosing canned fish, following the recent discovery of worms in canned fish imported from China.

However, they are advised to not panic over the matter as the worms posed no harm, even if consumed, as the worms were already dead as the canned sardine went through a process which involved intense heat that killed the parasite.

A lecturer at the Institute of Tropical Aquaculture, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Associata Professor Dr Marina Hassan said parasites in seafood-based products would die if the foodpreparation went through a process that used high or freezing temperature, or appropriate preservation methods.

“Nevertheless, the presence of parasites in food products reduces the product quality, but if consumed, will not be harmful if the food goes through a process that kills parasites and its life cycle, such as the eggs and larvae.

“However, if marine organism-based food, such as fish and oyster are eaten raw or half-cooked, then the risk of infection may be higher,” she told Bernama yesterday.

Recently, the Health Ministry withdrew six brands of canned sardine from the market, namely, Cinta, Sea Fresh, HS Brand, King Cup, Bintang and TC Boy, for allegedly containing impurities such as Filum Nematoda worms from the genus Anisakis spp.