Ba0bEi

SHE claims she was sold oilfish by a economy rice stall vendor in Marine Parade.

A 57-year-old housewife, who gave her name only as Madam Song (right), bought a few slices of the fish at $3 per slice, because she claimed the vendor told her it was cod.

She told Lianhe Wanbao she thought it was a good price for cod, which usually costs twice as much.

Her 10-year-old granddaughter took a bite of the fish and refused to eat any more.

Madam Song felt it was a waste to throw them away, so she ate the rest.

'It did not taste as good as codfish. The smell was overpowering,' she recalled.

Soon after dinner, she started having a headache and had to lie down.

Whenever she sat up, she felt nauseous and soon vomited.

She claimed: 'What I threw up had a layer of yellow oil and it smelt bad. I put ointment on my stomach, but the pain would not go away.

'I was in such discomfort. My chest was hurting so much I thought I was going to die,' said Madam Song in Mandarin.

She also had diarrhoea at least 10 times throughout the night, and couldn't sleep at all.

Her son and grandson, who also ate the fish, didn't suffer like her.

Both codfish and oilfish may look similar, but they are worlds apart - one fish is prized for its mild flavour and smooth texture, while the other is used as an industrial lubricant or even banned in some countries.

Their price also differs - oilfish costs about $10 per kg while cod costs more than $33 per kg.

Cod is known to have health benefits, but oilfish recently caused a scare in some countries. Those who consume it reportedly suffer from diarrhoea and stomach cramps. (See report, right.)

Earlier this month, the authorities in Hong Kong issued a health warning after 14 people had 'oily diarrhoea' after eating fish that was wrongly labelled as 'codfish'.

Its Centre for Food Safety found that the fish in question may have been oilfish. It is now investigating the source and following up on labelling issues with the retailer, who has refunded cash to more than 10,000 affected customers.

Exports of oilfish to Hong Kong have been halted even as the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department received 600 complaints relating to oilfish consumption.

The news on the fish had prompted at least one diner here to complain to the National Environment Agency (NEA) that it was being served as 'black cod fish' in a foodshop.

When contacted, a spokesman for NEA told The New Paper on Sunday that its officers would be looking into the case, to verify whether the stall was selling black cod or other fish.

'Any act of deliberate mislabelling of food is an offence under the Sale of Food Act, and appropriate action will be taken against the offender,' the spokesman warned.

Under the Sale of Food Act, it is an offence to sell food products which do not comply with labelling requirements.

If convicted, the maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $5,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed for three months.

CHEAPER

Unlike Madam Song, housewife Rosie Tan, 62, recently bought oilfish for her family for the first time.

She said she bought it because it was cheaper than cod.

'I like cod but I don't eat it often because it's costly. The fish vendor told me to cook the oilfish in a pan without any oil, so I did. It was tasty and smooth, with no fishy smell. Like cod, it had no bones and was easy to prepare.'

But after eating it, Mrs Tan's husband and son found themselves excreting oil when they broke wind.

Mrs Tan recalled: 'My husband came home so angry. It was embarrassing for him to stain his pants and chair.

'I felt sorry - I didn't realise it would cause this reaction. But at the same time, I was able to laugh about it because I didn't suffer any effects from eating the fish.'

Meanwhile, when The New Paper on Sunday went to the foodstall where Madam Song reportedly bought the oilfish, the stall assistants said they do not sell cod because it is too expensive.

One of them said: 'If we don't usually sell cod, so why would we sell something that looks like cod?'

Checks at other economy rice foodstalls revealed the same sentiment about cod - that it was too pricey.

Mr Lee Boon Cheow, president of the Singapore Fish Merchant General Association, said the mix-up may not be intentional.

He said: 'In the market, fish may be cut into slices so it can be hard to differentiate. Oilfish scales are rougher and harder to remove, but even some fish vendors can be confused.'

刁蛮小公主â„¢
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Ba0bEi

AVA: SAFE BUT MAY HAVE SIDE EFFECTS

LAST year, Singapore retailers imported 2,200 tonnes of frozen oilfish, mainly from Taiwan and South Africa. But about 80 per cent were re-exported, leaving 440 tonnes for local consumption.

In comparison, Singaporeans consumed 495 tonnes of cod imported mainly from Canada and the US.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said that while fish sold in Singapore is safe to eat, it is likely that many are unaware of the potential side effects of eating oilfish, which has a high content of waxy oil.

That's why AVA released a food hazard alert to advise the public on the potential health consequences of eating oilfish, also known as butterfish.

It contains about 6 to 8 per cent of such undigestible oil, much higher than other fish species which usually contain less than 1 per cent of the oil.

Grilling is the right cooking method as it tends to reduce the fat content. If the fish is not prepared properly or if it is eaten in large quantities, it can cause stomach cramps or diarrhoea.

AVA spokesman Goh Shih Yong said: 'Additional symptoms such as headache, nausea and vomiting may also appear within three to 12 hours after eating the fish. However, these effects are usually short-lived. Not everyone who consumes this fish will be affected.'

AVA has instructed traders to correctly label all fish sold so that consumers can correctly identify them.

Source

刁蛮小公主â„¢
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Sheng4Eva

how to oilfish and cod fish look like ? got any picture ?

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FTW

Knox

aiyo..terrible man..
i didn't know there was such thing as oilfish..
but it would make a good prank hehe..

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Sheng4Eva

lol ... but it is a dangerous prank ... seems quite serious

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FTW

RED.ADEN

deserved.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA