| Q. |
Should I be concerned if I have eaten the types of fish reported to
contain trace amounts of malachite green and leucomalachite green? |
| A. |
Health Canada's scientific Health Risk Assessment has concluded that the
potential health risk, even for cancer, associated with the daily consumption of fish
containing trace amounts of these substances is remote |
| Q. |
How can consumers know that fish imported from Asian countries is
safe? |
| A. |
All imported product must meet the requirements of the Fish Inspection Act
and Regulations, and may be subject to inspection by the CFIA. The CFIA monitors the test
results and when persistent problems are identified, the Agency will adjust testing
programs accordingly. These measures often include a public import alert which results in
100 percent detention and testing of all implicated products from a particular country. |
| Q. |
Are imported fish and seafood products from China and Vietnam
covered by the CFIA’s import inspection program? |
| A. |
Yes. All imported fish products, including those from China and Vietnam,
are subject to the import inspection program which includes drug residue testing of
aquaculture fish products using representative sampling procedures. Currently, all
aquaculture finfish products from China and Vietnam (which represent approximately 80% of
all imported aquaculture fish products from Asia) are inspected and tested. |
| Q. |
When did the CFIA begin testing imported fish products for
malachite green? |
| A. |
In 2002, Canada and many countries around the world were identifying
malachite green as an emerging issue particularly in finfish aquaculture. The CFIA and
Health Canada determined that monitoring for malachite green was warranted, and the CFIA
began monitoring imported farmed fish in 2002 for malachite green and leucomalachite
green. When testing results showed persistent problems with aquaculture finfish products
from China and Vietnam, the CFIA increased its vigilance by initiating 100% surveillance
of all farmed finfish products from China, in August 2005, and Vietnam in September 2005.
This means that all imported shipments of aquaculture finfish from these countries are
held, a representative sample of each shipment is taken and tested, and only those
products that are acceptable are released to the Canadian market. |
| Q. |
Has the CFIA taken steps to address this issue with Chinese and
Vietnamese authorities? |
| A. |
Yes. The CFIA conveyed the seriousness of this issue to regulatory
authorities in China and Vietnam and has advised that it will take additional actions if
issues are not addressed appropriately. The CFIA is working with authorities in China and
Vietnam to ensure that preventative measures are implemented as soon as possible in these
exporting countries. |
| Q. |
Have China and Vietnam taken steps to ensure shipments of fish and
seafood from their respective countries do not contain malachite green? |
| A. |
Both Vietnam and China have indicated that they have intensified the
control of the whole aquaculture production chain, concentrating on prohibited chemicals,
including malachite green. CFIA officials continue to correspond with Vietnamese
authorities and Agency officials will be meeting with Chinese authorities in the coming
months to resolve this issue. |
| Q. |
If everything is inspected, how was malachite green recently found
in two samples of imported fish? |
| A. |
Shipments of farmed finfish from China and Vietnam were targeted for 100%
surveillance testing in August and September 2005, respectively. This is when the CFIA
began holding and testing a representative sample from all shipments of aquaculture
finfish from China and Vietnam. Some product may have entered Canada before this enhanced
surveillance was put in place. |
| Q. |
Is the CFIA investigating the findings of malachite green reported
recently in the media? |
| A. |
The CFIA takes the findings of CTV National News seriously. In order to
make a decision on the regulatory action required, the CFIA is attempting to gather
additional details, such as the origin of the product, what level of malachite green or
leucomalachite green was present, and where the products were sampled. CTV has decided
not to provide these details which would have been helpful to the CFIA’s
investigation. The CFIA is, nevertheless, conducting its own investigation to determine if
any products imported prior to its targeted surveillance remain in Canada. The Agency will
take appropriate action resulting from its investigation. |
| Q. |
What appropriate action will the CFIA take? |
| A. |
As part of its investigation, the CFIA is conducting a thorough review of
its inspection records for implicated products from China and Vietnam. Following the
review of inspection records, the CFIA will determine what follow up action is required to
deal with any remaining non-compliant product. The CFIA would assess all the pertinent
details and consult with Health Canada, which sets human health-related food safety
standards. The CFIA, with Health Canada’s advice, could also initiate a product
recall, if warranted.
The CFIA will increase verification of regulated parties such as licensed importers and
will work with the Canada Border Services Agency to verify that there are no pathways for
the illegal importation/smuggling of Asian fish products.
In addition, in the interim, the CFIA is increasing its inspection frequency from 5% to
20% for all aquaculture finfish from other Asian countries that produce these products. |
| Q. |
Is the CFIA providing information to the public about the
prevalence of malachite green in fish products? |
| A. |
The CFIA always notifies the public in situations where there is potential
for immediate and serious health risk. In this case, Health Canada's scientific Health
Risk Assessment has concluded that the potential health risk, even for cancer, associated
with the daily consumption of fish containing trace amounts of these substances is remote. The
CFIA has been transparent about its surveillance activities for imported fish products
from Asia. In fact, the CFIA has conducted numerous media interviews, including interviews
with the Asian Canadian media, representatives of the Asian Canadian community and
responded to inquiries from consumers.
The CFIA’s Import Alert List which identifies products that have been targeted for
100% inspection is available to the public on the Agency’s Web site.
On June 6, 2005, the CFIA issued a Communiqué to remind fish and seafood processors
and importers of their requirement to produce fish that meets Canadian standards. The
Communiqué advised processors to particularly focus on confirming that non-permitted
substances, such as malachite green, have not been applied to the fish.
On July 6, 2005, the CFIA posted an public Information Bulletin on its web site to
inform the public about malachite green. It describes the steps that the Agency is taking,
including increased monitoring of both domestic and imported farmed fish. |
| Q. |
Has the CFIA considered banning the import of fish products from China and
Vietnam? |
| A. |
The CFIA will continue to closely monitor the situation and take any necessary steps
to protect the Canadian food supply. |
