Fisheries Department denies tilapia fish unsafe for consumption
FARHANA ABD KADIR
SHAH ALAM - The Fisheries Department today denied claims that tilapia fish is unsafe to eat and could cause diseases such as cancer is false.
Its director general, Datuk Adnan Hussain said the false claims circulated via WhatsApp were an irresponsible action to scare consumers in the country.
"Tilapia is a popular freshwater fish among Malaysians other than catfish," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The tilapia is raised with a feeding formula that uses protein sources from fish and plants.
Besides genetically modified (GM) soy and corn, which reduce the use of fish meal, are also used and have been approved by Norwegian and European Union authorities.
"This plant feed is widely used in the feed formula for salmon, tilapia, and carp. There are no specific reports related to the negative effects on humans who eat tilapia fish that have been fed with GM soy or corn by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), CODEX, and USFDA (United States Food and Drug Administration).
"There are 200 aquaculture farms that have the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practises (MyGap) scheme certificate and disease control to ensure the production quality is always monitored for the country's aquaculture resources.
"Referring to the 2021 Annual Fisheries Statistics, tilapia aquaculture production is one of the highest contributors to food security besides catfish," he said.
