NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday said there is no need to avoid eating tuna or other fish based on reports of parasitic infections in fish from the Atlantic coast off Brazil.
In a detailed advisory, ICAR-CMFRI, Kochi, said fish examined along the Indian coast, including tuna, have not shown "external manifestations of harmful parasitic infestation" and stressed that any such findings from other regions should not be generalised to fish caught in Indian waters.
The advisory follows reports highlighting the presence of parasites in skipjack tuna based on a study of fish from the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil.
"The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), Kochi, has advised consumers not to avoid tuna or other commercially available fish solely on the basis of reports of parasitic infections detected in fish from a specific geographical region," the agriculture ministry said in a statement.
According to the institute, in India, seafood is generally prepared at high temperatures, which provides an additional food-safety measure.
In some countries, raw or lightly cooked seafood is consumed as part of cultural practices, where the risk may be higher if parasite prevalence in a particular locality is high, it added.
Further, the institute has advised consumers to follow appropriate handling, cleaning and cooking practices to minimise potential risks.
ICAR-CMFRI emphasised that the presence and abundance of parasites can vary between individual fish and geographical regions depending on ecological conditions and the availability of intermediate or secondary hosts such as copepods.
Grinson George, Director of ICAR-CMFRI, said its scientists regularly examine fish, including skipjack tuna, as part of fish biology studies. They observe them for abnormalities and parasites whenever necessary.
Variations in parasite occurrence have also been used globally as indicators for differentiating fish stocks or populations.
Therefore, findings relating to fish from one geographical region cannot automatically be applied to the same species occurring in another region, the institute said.
As a precaution, ICAR-CMFRI advised that proper and prompt evisceration is important during fish handling and processing.
"The intestines and other viscera are normally removed during cleaning and processing. Proper cooking also kills parasites and significantly reduces any associated food-safety risk," it said.