QuickCheck: Were parasitic worms found in canned sardines seized in Johor?

WHEN it comes to food, it is always hoped that what is available is safe for consumption - and that includes being free of anything that could make people sick.

As such any news of tainted food tends to go viral easily, especially when the claim is that items such as parasitic worms were found contaminating it.

This was a claim made recently; that parasitic worms were found in sardines seized in Johor. Is this true?

VERDICT:

TRUE

This was confirmed by Johor Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis) director Edie Putra Md Yusof, who said that parasites were found in more than 16 tonnes of canned sardines brought in from Singapore without an import permit.

“The items were seized and samples of the food were sent for laboratory testing.

“The Chemistry Department’s analysis found that the sardines were contaminated with Anisakis simplex worms, a type of parasite,” he said in a statement on Thursday (April 25).

He said that the shipment of 16,320kg of canned sardines worth RM83,879.84 was brought in by lorry via the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) checkpoint here near the Causeway on March 27.

Edie Putra then said that Maqis officers suspected that the canned food was contaminated with foreign objects, so samples were sent for testing.

He added that when the items were seized, Maqis recorded the statement of the 30-year-old lorry driver before letting him go.

Edie Putra said the offence is punishable under Section 14(a) of the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Act 2011 for importing items that contained pests, diseases or contaminants.

The offence carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or jail term of not exceeding six years, or both upon conviction.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the worms could invade the stomach wall or intestines of humans if consumed.