November 13, 2008
Hong Kong ascertains discovery of melamine in Chinese fish feed
Industrial chemical melamine was discovered in a sample of fish feed from mainland China, said Hong Kong.
The fish feed was purchased from China and delivered to the city by a Hong Kong fish farmer, with a melamine content of 6.6 parts per million.
According to the Centre For Food Safety, eight fishes at four farms that have used the contaminated feed were tested and no ill effects were found. It was not clear if any fish that ate the tainted feed had been sold to markets, in reference to a statement released on Tuesday (November 11, 2008).
It was said that the tainted fish feed came from Fuzhou Haima Feed Co., in China''s southeastern Fujian province. Company officials could not be reached for comments.
The city''s agricultural and fisheries department has instructed fish farms not to use the feed and will continue tests on milks, eggs, meat and other products, according to Hong Kong safety officials.
The chemical has recently turned up in
dairy products and other foods and has been blamed for the deaths of four infants and for sickening more than 50,000 in mainland China.