China’s overuse of antibiotics in fish products threatens PH’s food safety

Published 2021년 4월 6일

Tridge summary

A recent study in the Marine Environmental Science journal has raised concerns about China's overuse of antibiotics in its fisheries, which could pose a food safety risk to the Philippines, a major importer of Chinese seafood. The study found high antibiotic levels in the water along China's coastline, exceeding permitted limits. The Philippine advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan is urging the government to implement stricter import controls and potentially partner with universities and private labs for testing. The Department of Agriculture is planning to establish the country’s first Agriculture Commodity Examination Area. Meanwhile, the Navotas Fish Port Complex in the Philippines has set a new record for unloading fish supply in the first quarter of the year.

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Original content

China’s reported overuse of antibiotics in its fisheries products threatens food safety in the Philippines, which imports billions worth of seafood products from the world’s second-largest economy every year. In a virtual briefing on Monday, Asis Perez, convenor of food security advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan, raised concerns over the study recently published in the journal Marine Environmental Science, revealing that China has dumped large quantities of antibiotics into the ocean. According to the study, the amount of antibiotics found along China’s 32,000-kilometer coastline is equivalent to 20,000 penicillin tablets dropped in a standard-sized swimming pool. The study, conducted by a team led by Peking University professor Wen Donghui, was first cited in South China Morning Post. Perez, who is also the former director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said this is a food safety concern and should alarm the Philippine government. To be specific, he said ...

Source: Mb