FED:Warning issued over imported crumbed fish

AAP General News (Australia)
02-01-2011
FED:Warning issued over imported crumbed fish

By Danny Rose, AAP Medical Writer

SYDNEY, Feb 1 AAP - Australians with peanut allergy have been warned to not eat imported
crumbed fish or seafood products, following a rash of product recalls and six people falling
seriously ill.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) issued a general warning on Tuesday, based
on ongoing concerns over a batch of Chinese-made flour used in the preparation of imported
fish products.

The six people - four from Victoria and one each from WA and Queensland - all ate types
of imported crumbed fish or seafood which contained undisclosed traces of peanut.

Each had their emergency adrenaline injection at hand to manage their allergic reaction,
and only one required a trip to hospital.

"FSANZ today advised Australians with peanut allergies not to eat imported crumbed
fish, and crumbed seafood, products that could be contaminated with undeclared peanuts,"

FSANZ chief executive Steve McCutcheon said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The source of the peanuts has been traced to soy flour manufactured in China.

"FSANZ has been advised that since the discovery of the contamination, the distributor
is no longer using the soy flour from the manufacturer responsible."

A spate fish products, sold via the nation's major supermarkets and known to contain
the suspect flour, were recalled during January but there is a risk the products may still
remain in household freezers.

Mr McCutcheon said the products otherwise "do not pose a safety risk for people who
do not have a peanut allergy".

FSANZ was working with retailers, manufacturers, importers and overseas food regulators
to identify if any other products may be affected, he said.

Any further cases of food allergic people falling ill as a result of imported crumbed
fish should be reported to state or territory health authorities.

The recalled products are:

- Coles Frozen Crumbed Lemon Flavoured Fish Fillets.

- Woolworths Home Brand Lemon Flavoured Crumbed Fish Frozen Portions sold in NSW, ACT
and Queensland.

- Coles Crumbed Black Oreodory Fillets in Light Crispy Breadcrumbs, recalled on January 29.

- Three further frozen crumbed seafood products sold through Woolworths/Safeway, Coles,
Bi-Lo, Metcash and IGA, Pick'n'Pay (QLD) and Franklins (NSW).

Full details are available on the website www.foodstandards.gov.au.

AAP dr/msk

KEYWORD: ALLERGIC

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