Poisonous fish sparks warning
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is warning the public after fish imported from Fiji, and sold from a Christchurch store, has been found to be poisonous.
MPI issued a statement on Wednesday, warning the public that frozen camouflage grouper (Kawakawa) fish containing ciguatoxin, which may cause ciguatera poisoning after consumption, had been sold from Krazy Price Mart Ltd on Tuam St, Christchurch, between March 10 and May 21, 2020.
The fish were not labelled with any dates, were sold as an individual whole fish, gutted, and wrapped in clear plastic, and were available from a chest freezer at Krazy Price Mart.
The fish were not sold anywhere else and were not thought to have affected any other products being sold at the store.
‘‘[The] affected product should not be consumed. If you have consumed this product and have any concerns about illness, seek medical advice,’’ the statement read.
An MPI spokeswoman said five people had become ill after eating the fish.
MPI was continuing to make inquiries with Fijian authorities, she said.
A Christchurch District Health Board spokeswoman said the five people diagnosed with ciguatera poisoning were from two families based in Christchurch.
She said one of the people required hospital admission, but they have all recovered as of Saturday.
Krazy Price Mart Ltd has since issued a full recall of the product and was providing refunds.
‘‘Krazy Price Mart Ltd wishes to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience that this may cause,’’ a release from the company read.
A Krazy Price Mart Ltd employee said no-one was available to comment when contacted on Saturday.
Ciguatera poisoning is a form of food poisoning and is caused by eating warmwater ocean fish that carry toxins. These toxins are produced by small algae-like organisms, which attaches itself to algae growing in warm ocean reef areas.
Symptoms usually start within hours after eating a toxic fish.
Symptoms can include: Tingling and numbness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps, dizziness or lightheadedness, among other symptoms. People can also experience difficulty breathing in severe cases.
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