Print article

Egyptian officials: Vietnamese catfish totally safe

VGP - Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has described basa catfish imported from Việt Nam as completely safe, referring to laboratory’s test results.

April 02, 2009 3:03 PM GMT+7

Basa catfish imported from Việt Nam are safe

The Egyptian Embassy in Việt Nam on Tuesday reissued the certificate to Vietnamese seafood after five days of suspension.

Egyptian online newspapers, including the Al Ahram and the Arabic website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, on Wednesday quoted Egyptian officials as saying that Vietnamese basa catfish is really safe for eaters.

According to Egypt’s Health Minister Hatim Al Zabali, his Ministry’s research center over the past three months has analyzed 95 samples taken from 95 shipments of Vietnamese basa fish. Test result shows that 87 of these are meeting safety standards.

The Director General of the Egyptian Veterinary Service Department, Dr. Hamid Samaba, said all imported frozen fish, including basa catfish from Việt Nam, are quarantined as safe for consumers.

Meanwhile, the President of the Egyptian Veterinary Quarantine Agency, Dr. Youssef Mamdouh, said that since January, Egypt has imported 265 consignments of basa catfish, totaling 29,000 tons, and only nine were returned for failing to meet quality standards.

By Ngọc Vân