bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The consumer watchdog may test fresh fish for arsenic after uncovering startling amounts of the potentially deadly substance in dried squid, cuttlefish and other products.

'There are many heavy metals in the sea,' Consumer Council spokesman Larry Kwok Lam-kwong said.

'There would probably be the same results for live fish, and in the future we may test them as well. Fresh fish may not be as healthy as people think.'

Mr Kwok also said the tested products had high levels of salt and sugar and should be eaten sparingly.

The council tested 65 samples of dried meat and fish products.  These included 26 samples from Macau, where many tourists buy them.

One squid brand from Vietnam called Topvalu Chigiri Kensaki Surume had an arsenic level of 35.3mg per kg. The World Health Organisation recommends that the weekly amount of organic arsenic ingested for a 60kg person should be 0.9 mg. Eating three 90 gram packs of the Topvalu squid in a week would possibly lead to skin lesions, liver damage and even cancer.

Another variety of shredded squid contained an excessive level of the preservative benzoic acid, which can cause gastrointestinal problems.

ParknShop removed its house brand of sliced cuttlefish from its shelves after the council reported finding 1.02 grams of the preservative per kilogram.

Benzoic and sorbic acid were discovered in 145 samples of dried beef, pork and pork floss. The council has reported the breaches to the Centre for Food Safety.

Alvin Chan Yee-shing, of the Hong Kong Medical Association, said the arsenic may have  come from  mechanical shredders, most of which were made on the mainland and in Thailand and Vietnam.

Dr Chan said excessive arsenic in food was a worldwide problem. He said eating too much arsenic  could affect the liver and skin.

'It's easy to eat lots of these products if you are sitting in front of the television watching sport.'



Arsenic warning after testing of dried seafood