A few weeks ago, we reported that there was a case of tuna food poisoning in the Sydney CBD (click here for the article). Initially, many suspected the tuna used by the café may have been contaminated – after all, the fish is sourced from Thailand. However the results from a study show otherwise.
From the New South Wales (NSW) Food Safety Authority’s results, the John Bull Tuna used in the Soul Origin tuna salad that caused the food poisoning scare in Sydney was safe. However, the salad still contained nearly 20 times the safe levels of scombroid histamine. To reiterate, scombroid or histamine fish poisoning is a natural occurrence when bacteria in certain species of fish. They might produce an enzyme that converts histidine in the fish to histamine.
The Tuna Complication
Previously the Department of Agriculture issued holding orders for consignments of tuna and mackerel products from Thailand’s I.S.A Value Co Limited, which produces John Bull Tuna. Furthermore, FTA Food Solutions has also commissioned a nationally accredited independent laboratory, the Australian Government National Measurement Institute, to undertake independent tests on three different batches of John Ball tuna it currently holds. Further research is required for a conclusive result.
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