Seafood lovers ‘risk slow death’

MAKKAH — A number of customers at the central fish market in Al-Kaakiya district of Makkah expressed their concern about the methods used in preparing seafood by stalls there. Speaking to Al-Madina newspaper, they alleged that the chefs fry fish in the same cooking oil more than once and possibly several times. One customer said his fears rose after he read WHO warnings about the increased incidence of cancer due to food contamination caused by oil oxidation. According to medical research, the chance of getting cancer rises with the level of oxidation. Hassan Albajali, another customer, said, “Seafood lovers visiting the market potentially risk slow death. There are a lot of food stalls that use the same oil several times to fry fish or they add new oil to the leftover oil in pots, which is likely to cause serious health risks to consumers.” Albajali said he bought fresh fish from the market and take the home in order to ensure that the meal was cooked in a healthy and safe manner. He called on the concerned authorities to compel shops to install surveillance cameras to ensure they do not use cooking oil repeatedly. One customer pointed out that the inspection tours carried out by the Environmental Health Department of Makkah Municipality have not achieved their objectives of protecting the consumer, because the shops still sell fish fried in used oil. Despite health warnings, the shops are taking advantage of the carelessness of consumers who are not aware of the way the dishes are made. Fahad Al-Hakami described his shocking experience when he visited the fish market a few days ago. “The meals are prepared by workers who lack the most basic hygiene. I saw a worker leaving one of the shops carrying a huge pot. As I knew he was going to the storage area, I followed him and forced my entry into the place despite his resistance to let me in. I saw a room crowded with many uncovered pots of different sizes, filled with used oil. They are kept for use later. This means that we have a major health disaster in the making,” Al-Hakami told Al-Madina. Director of the Department of Environmental Health Mansour Balubaid said questions from the newspaper about the role of his directorate in controlling the phenomenon would be passed on to concerned officials and would be answered later, but no response has so far been received. Dr. Osama Zainuddin, an expert in fish diseases, said there is a real danger on the health of consumers if oil is used repeatedly for frying fish. He said the Environmental Health Department checks the suitability of oil used in food stalls with the help of special devices. “We examine random samples of fish arriving in the market on a daily basis. However, it is difficult to test all the fish sold in the market. When we come across any rotten fish, they are destroyed immediately,” he said. He said the market has 16 surveillance cameras distributed all over the corridors to ensure public safety.