Those who fancy this gourmet should know that in Japan, only pufferfish or fugu processed according to tight safety regulations can be distributed and exported.
According to Furukawa Yukihiro, an official from Japan’s International Fugu Association, Malaysia is one of the countries that import pufferfish from Japan. The others are Singapore, the United States, Australia and Russia.
His remarks that it was safe to consume pufferfish from Japan come in the wake of many Malaysians avoiding it after two senior citizens in Kluang died in March from eating pufferfish.
It is understood that the couple had eaten a dish that they cooked using pufferfish they purchased from a local seller.
There are reportedly about 440 species of pufferfish in the world’s oceans and rivers, but the pufferfish (Lagocephalus lunaris) commonly caught in the seas around Malaysia is a highly poisonous fish. Its muscle parts are also poisonous and hence, inedible.
In Japan, thanks to the safety measures on pufferfish or fugu consumption, the Japanese people enjoy approximately 10,000 tonnes of pufferfish every year safely.
Elaborating on Japan’s safety standards, Furukawa said the government decides the fishing waters, types and parts of fugu (meat, skin, testicles) that are fit for consumption while local governments issue licences to people who qualify as fugu chefs.
The Japanese government had issued sanitary measures for pufferfish which stipulate the species and parts of pufferfish that are not harmful to human health through de-poisoning as well as the fishing waters in which they are caught.
The species and parts identification of pufferfish is thoroughly enforced at every stage of the pufferfish processes, which include fishing, wholesaling (market), processing, distribution, cooking, and retailing.
Pufferfish handlers need to get a pufferfish handling qualification. They must first undergo an exam to test their ability to identify the species of fugu and their skills to remove toxic parts.
Only special facilities with qualified personnel who passed the exam are allowed to process pufferfish.
With such measures in place, Furukawa said these imported fugu are safe for Malaysians to enjoy the same delicious pufferfish dishes as in Japan.
“Although we do not have the actual number of pufferfish imported from Japan into Malaysia, it is estimated to be about one tonne per year,” he said.