Food Standards Agency
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Recall of Mas-River Fried Dace update
The Agency has received information confirming that less than half of the substance of a recalled batch of Mas-River Fried Dace is a processed fishery product. This means the product does not need to come from an approved establishment, as stated in the original Food Alert for Action. Tins with a ‘best before’ date of 30 April 2013 are still recalled because they contain high levels of histamine.
High levels of histamine can cause scombrotoxic fish poisoning if eaten.
The Agency has issued an Food Alert for Action that updates the Food Alert for Action issued on 2 February 2011 and the Product Recall Information Notice issued on 19 January 2011. The alerts, recall information notice and images of the product can be found via the links below.
Product details
The recalled product is:
- Mas-River Fried Dace with Salted Black Beans, 184g
- Best before: 30 April 2013
- Batch code: IKH MFG:30.04.2010 MALAYSIA NO.62
A recall of the affected batch has been carried out by the UK Importer, Oriental Merchant (Europe) Ltd. Product recall notices have been issued to stores that sell the product, explaining why the product has been recalled and actions consumers can take if they have bought the affected product.
All other batches of the product were distributed in 2008 and have now passed their 'best before' date.
Actions to be taken by local authorities
If the affected batch of product is found on sale during routine local authority food safety officer inspections, the product should be removed from sale. Food business operators should also be encouraged to display point-of-sale notices, explaining why the product has been recalled.
The science behind the story
Scombrotoxic fish poisoning is linked to eating fish from the family that includes tuna, mackerel, and herring. It is caused when fish and fish products are not refrigerated correctly. Warmer temperatures allow bacteria to multiply and produce a chemical called histamine at levels that can make people ill if it’s eaten. Cooking the fish will not destroy histamine.
Symptoms are similar to those of an allergic reaction; they include skin rash, low blood pressure, vomiting and diarrhoea. Symptoms also include headaches, dizziness, palpitations, and abdominal cramps. Symptoms can occur as quickly as 10 minutes after eating the affected fish and may be serious enough to require urgent medical attention, although they usually resolve within 24 hours.
About product withdrawals and recalls
If there is a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold, then it might be 'withdrawn' (taken off the shelves) or 'recalled' (when customers are asked to return the product). The Food Standards Agency issues Product Withdrawal Information Notices and Product Recall Information Notices to let consumers and local authorities know about problems associated with food. In some cases, a ‘Food Alert for Action’ is issued. This provides local authorities with details of specific action to be taken on behalf of consumers.
You can get FSA alerts about product recall and withdrawals either by email or SMS text. Visit the Get Alerts page at the link towards the bottom of this page to find out how.
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