Consumers told not to buy or eat certain pufferfish

Muscat: The Food Safety and Quality Centre (FSQC) warned consumers against buying or eating certain species of pufferfish, which can contain potent toxins that pose a serious risk to human health.

In an online poster, the centre identified several pufferfish species, which their trade, handling and consumption are prohibited or restricted, urging consumers to recognise and avoid them.

The species are green pufferfish Arothron hispidus, Arothron immaculatus, Arothron, Arothron meleagris, Arothron nigropunctatus, Chelonodon patoca, Lagocephalus lunaris, Lagocephalus sceleratus, Canthigaster valentini, Diodon liturosus, Diodon hystrix, Diodon holocanthus.

The centre stressed that these fish may contain tetrodotoxin, which is a powerful poison that can affect the nervous system.

It warned that cooking or freezing is not a guaranteed method of removing the toxins or making the fish safe for consumption.

Meanwhile, the FSQC said that symptoms of poisoning may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness of the muscles, numbness and difficulty breathing, with severe cases potentially leading to death.The FSQC urged consumers to choose fish from trusted and safe sources.