Kerala to strengthen monitoring of fish

Move to impound vehicles carrying contaminated fish

In the wake of seizure of 5,000 kg of formalin-laced fish from Vadakara here, the Kerala Food Safety Department is seeking the help of the police and the Motor Vehicles Department to impound vehicles carrying adulterated fish. Food safety officers heading various circles in the district will work as a team to expose the traders who collude with suppliers in Tamil Nadu to get stock at cheaper rate and sell it at higher margins in local markets. Efforts are also on to track the stock that had reached the city from Tamil Nadu. The officers suspect attempts to hide the contaminated stock using cold-storage facilities or convert it as dry fish to make profit. Regional squads will trace such stocks procured secretly and destroy them, an officer said.

Network of informers

“We are allowed to conduct vehicle checks on getting information about movement of adulterated fish by road. Our network of informers is broader now and we are confident of instantly tracking such suspected vehicles,” P. Jithinraj, an officer attached to the squad, said.

Keeping safety factors in mind, the conventional practice of sending back the suspicious stock to the suppliers has been stopped.

Following the latest directives from the Food Safety Commissioner, fish, if found adulterated after tests, will be destroyed on the spot. The officers say the move will prevent efforts to push the adulterated consignment again into the market.

Since the detection of formalin-laced fish from the other States in the local market, local fish traders have been experiencing a setback in business and a steep decline in their income.

Annoyed by the trend, some of the vendors have come out in support of the Food Safety Department’s drive against the unsafe stock.

Fish merchants at the Nadakkavu market say they take the stock directly from the local fishers as most of the buyers are interested only in the local catch.