FlyerTalk Forums - SIN Run Do 2005

as far as i am concerned, the seafood may have been feeding on "worse" things before the tsunami.. :rolleyes:

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Seafood shops see drop in business
By Tan Mae Lynn, The New Paper dated 07 Jan 2005
[email protected]

SEAFOOD?

No, thanks.

It seems many Singaporeans are losing their appetite for marine creatures like crabs, prawns and salt-water fish in the aftermath of the tsunami.

The eight seafood restaurants and five suppliers we spoke to said they have seen a drop in demand ranging from 10 to 40 per cent.

Madam Maggie Chia, owner of Ting Heng Seafood Restaurant, has noticed that customers have become reluctant to eat seafood.

She said: 'Less seafood is ordered, compared with non-seafood dishes like chicken.

'Sometimes when we recommend a seafood dish, the customers exclaim, 'Wah? You still dare to recommend that ah?'

'And I've overheard customers say they don't want to eat seafood because the fish and crabs may be contaminated by dead bodies.'

One seafood restaurant worker, who declined to give his name, said business at his East Coast restaurant has almost halved since the tsunami.

He said: 'Business is bad not because we don't have supply, it's because people are not coming... They're afraid there are dead bodies washed out to sea and maybe they think the crabs and fish have been eating the bodies.

'We used to be able to earn $7,000 to $8,000 in one night. Now, it's about $3,000 to $4,000 only.'

POINTED QUESTIONS

Madam Si Jing Fang, supervisor at Tekong Seafood Restaurant, said that though the drop is manageable, customers have been asking pointed questions.

'There has been a slight drop in customers asking for seafood dishes... especially the younger customers. They prefer not to order prawns or fish now.

'Some customers ask whether there's human flesh in the fish.'

Mr Kenneth Lim of the Ponggol Fish Merchants' Association is fed up of the rumours.

He said: 'Word has been going around that prices have gone up because of a shortage in seafood supply, and also that it's not safe to eat. It's all rumours.

'How can it not be safe to eat? The authorities make thorough checks when it comes into Singapore. It's safe to eat, there's nothing to worry about.'

'Anyway, our supply hasn't been affected much because, on the whole, our seafood does not come from the tsunami areas,' he said.

For example, Sri Lankan crabs sold here are largely from the Northwestern part of the country. Crabs are also imported from the Pacific Ocean side of Indonesia - unaffected by the killer waves - and Malaysia.

Crab and other seafood importers have also reported a drop in business.

But they say it is not a serious problem.

Mr Jim Lee, partner of Jim Foods Supplier, estimates that demand for Sri Lankan and Indian crabs have fallen by about 20 per cent.

However, he said that the effect is beginning to taper out.

'Immediately after the tsunami, there was a drop of almost 40 per cent. Now, it's improved, I think this is a short-term effect... closer to Chinese New Year, demand will pick up again,' Mr Lee said.

After all, he added, people will forget such rumours after a while.

Madam Hong Ying Lien, 40, of High Fresh Trading, said she had also received fewer orders for crabs.

'The feedback I get from the restaurants is that fewer people are eating crabs.'

For engineer Caleb Chua, it's about being safe rather than sorry.

Mr Chua, 30, said he loves crabs, but he'll avoid eating them for least three months.

'I'll stop eating crabs for now because of the tsunami. I think it's not safe consuming them now because I've heard from people that it's not very clean,' he said.

NO REASON TO WORRY

Others, however, remain undeterred when it comes to enjoying a seafood meal.

Madam Sandra de Souza, 29, a self-proclaimed seafood lover, said she has no reason to worry about food safety here, especially with the stringent checks by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.

She said: 'I don't think there's any health issue, the rumours are unfounded... even if (the fish or crabs) were eating from dead bodies, there isn't necessarily a transmission of disease that can survive in their bodies.

'Crabs and fish feed on decayed materials in the sea anyway, so why the concern now?'
- Additional reporting by Pamela Yeo

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FICTION

Crabs, fish and prawns may harm us because they eat debris from tsunami-hit areas

Crabs that eat human flesh are bigger

FACT

No health danger if fish, crab & prawns eat debris or even human flesh

Most of our seafood are from unaffected partsRoutine checks ensure they are safe to consume

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Safe to eat seafood, experts say
By Teh Jen Lee, The New Paper dated 07 Jan 2005
[email protected]

IT is safe to eat crabs and other seafood from tsunami-affected areas, experts and officials said, and the seafood supply to Singapore remains normal.

Associate professor Peter Ng, from the NUS department of biological sciences, who has studied crabs for more than 20 years, told The New Paper: 'Crabs do eat anything that comes along. The idea of eating a crab that has eaten a human body is morbid, but there is no health danger.

'Any germs would have been digested away. But psychologically it may be difficult to eat crabs now.'

He added that the so-called Sri Lankan crabs are not exclusive to Sri Lanka.

They are also found in countries like Australia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and occasionally even here in Singapore.

Sri Lanka has been a major exporter of such crabs and the name got stuck, so people think all big crabs are from Sri Lanka.

IT'S ALL GENETICS

'It's also a myth that they grow big from eating human flesh,' said Dr Ng.

'They are just genetically predisposed to grow bigger. The Philippines and Australia also sell these large crabs.'

This is why there will be no shortage of crabs and other seafood, as any shortfall can be offset by imports from other places not affected by the tsunamis.

Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) spokesman Goh Shih Yong said the supply of seafood has been normal so far.

He assured Singaporeans that the seafood available here is safe to eat, regardless of where it is from.

In an e-mail reply to The New Paper, Mr Goh said: 'Our system of checking seafood is backed by a comprehensive laboratory monitoring programme to detect harmful microbial hazards, environmental contaminants and residues, including antibiotics and heavy metals.'

He emphasised that even if there are decomposing bodies in the ocean, this will not be a health hazard for anyone eating seafood.

'If a fish should feed on decomposing bodies, it will not develop any disease that could be harmful to man if it's eaten,' he said.

AVA does routine checks on fish and other imported seafood.

'Samples are taken to the veterinary public health laboratory for tests,' Mr Goh said.

'So far, there is no evidence to suggest that there are disease-causing organisms in the seafood.'