'We will know in September if the fish from the Central region are edible or not?'

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, Director of the Department of Food Safety, Ministry of Health, said that it is not yet possible to confirm that all fish samples are safe and edible. It is expected that by September, it will be possible to announce whether the samples of fish from the central region are safe to eat or not.

At present, the Ministry of Health is still taking samples of sea fish in 4 central provinces (Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue) for testing. It will take time to conclude whether sea fish are edible or not because it is directly related to people's health.

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Therefore, if only 1 or 1/2 of the collected fish samples are tested as unsafe, the possibility of contaminated sea fish causing harm to human health still exists. Therefore, it will not be until September that the Food Safety Department will announce whether or not the Central region's sea fish is edible.

Ms. Tran Viet Nga, Deputy Director of the Food Safety Department, also added that since the mass fish deaths, the Food Safety Department has collected a total of 435 fish samples for testing. In May and June, there were many samples that did not meet the standards, but currently the number of samples that do not meet the standards is decreasing.

In July, the Food Safety Department recorded that 7/27 samples did not meet standards. By August, the number of samples that did not meet standards was only 1/18. This sample was collected at a fishing port in Ha Tinh.

Currently, the locations announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment where fish can be raised in cages again can basically be eaten. However, the Ministry of Health will still have to monitor to have the most accurate conclusion about whether the fish in those places can be eaten or not.

According to Vntinnhanh