Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole)
Cheap cheap fish! The above is an ad (from one of the large supermarket chains in France) for the fish known as Pangas (also called, Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, Basa Fish and White Catfish, Tra, Gray Sole). It was a reminder to tell you about the dangers of this strange but increasingly popular fish. I learned about them and how they’re raised a while ago on an informative documentary online here: Documentary about Pangas. (which is in French. If you don’t speak French, read below.)
Would the French call it Poisson ou poison?
Industrially farmed in Vietnam along the Mekong River, Pangas or whatever they’re calling it, has only been recently introduced to the French market. However, in a very short amount of time, it has grown in popularity in France. The French are slurping up Pangas like it’s their last meal of soup noodles. They are very, very affordable (cheap), are sold in filets with no bones and they have a neutral (bland) flavor and texture; many would compare it to cod and sole, only much cheaper. But as tasty as some people may find it, there’s, in fact, something hugely unsavory about it. I hope the information provided here will serve as very important information for you and your future choices. Here’s why I think it is better left in the shops (and not on your dinner plates):
1. Pangas are teeming with high levels of poisons and bacteria. (industrial effluents, arsenic, and toxic and hazardous by-products of the growing industrial sector, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), metal contaminants, chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB)). The reasons are that the Mekong River is one of the most polluted rivers on the planet and this is where pangas are farmed and industries along the river dump chemicals and industrial waste directly into it. To Note: a friend lab tests these fish and tells us to avoid eating them due to high amounts of contamination. Regardless of the reports and recommendations against selling them, the supermarkets still sell them to the general public knowing they are contaminated.
2. They freeze Pangas in contaminated river water. Ew.
3. Pangas are not environmentally sustainable, a most unsustainable food you could possibly eat – “Buy local” means creating the least amount of environmental harm as possible. This is the very opposite end of the spectrum of sustainable consumerism. Pangas are raised in Vietnam. Pangas are fed food that comes from Peru (more on that below), their hormones (which are injected into the female Pangas) come from China. (More about that below) and finally, they are transported from Vietnam to France. That’s not just a giant carbon foot print, that’s a carbon continent of a foot print.
4. There’s nothing natural about Pangas – They’re fed dead fish remnants and bones, dried and ground into a flour, from South America, manioc (cassava) and residue from soy and grains. This kind of nourishment doesn’t even remotely resemble what they eat in nature. But what it does resemble is the method of feeding mad cows (cows were fed cows, remember?) What they feed pangas is completely unregulated so there are most likely other dangerous substances and hormones thrown into the mix. The pangas grow at a speed light (practically!): 4 times faster than in nature…so it makes you wonder what exactly is in their food? Your guess is as good as mine.
5. Pangas are Injected with Hormones Derived from Urine – I don’t know how someone came up with this one out but they’ve discovered that if they inject female Pangas with hormones made from the dehydrated urine of pregnant women, the female Pangas grow much quicker and produce eggs faster (one Panga can lay approximately 500,000 eggs at one time). Essentially, they’re injecting fish with hormones (they come all of the way from a pharmaceutical company in China) to speed up the process of growth and reproduction. That isn’t good. Some of you might not mind eating fish injected with dehydrated pee so if you don’t good for you, but just consider the rest of the reasons to NOT eat it.
6. You get what you pay for – and then some. Don’t be lured in by insanely cheap price of Pangas. Is it worth risking your health and the health of your family?
7. Buying Pangas supports unscrupulous, greedy evil corporations and food conglomerates that don’t care about the health and well-being of human beings. They only are concerned about selling as many pangas as possible to unsuspecting consumers. These corporations only care about selling and making more money at whatever cost to the public.8. Pangas will make you sick – If (for reasons in #1 above) you don’t get immediately ill with vomiting, diarrhea and effects from severe food poisoning, congratulations, you have an iron stomach! But you’re still ingesting POISON not poisson.Final important note: Because of the prodigious amount of availability of Pangas, be warned that they will certainly find their way into other foods: surimi (those pressed fish things, imitation crab sticks), fish sticks, fish terrines, and probably in some pet foods. (Warn your dogs and cats and hamsters and gerbils and even your pet fish!)
Watch this Report on Pangas (in French) (Video excerpt from Capitale on M6, which aired about 3 months ago)
Links: Buying fish in France, Le Panga, nouvelle abération de la mondialisation ?
February 10th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
i work in a tesco store in england (on the fresh fish counter) and after reading this information i am a bit worried about selling the vietnamese river fish to local customers. is this info 100% true besause if it is i am going to print it off and hand it to the head offices and try to get sales stopped. Please mail back. thanks
February 19th, 2008 at 9:41 am
I bought this fish from my local Tesco for the first time and tried it on Saturday. On Sunday I spent the day vomiting and feeling very ill this continued into Monday and my body aches all over. My daughter who also had the fish started the same on Sunday evening and is also still recovering
February 19th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Does it matter what supermarket it is?, do you have any idea how other mass produced foods are made? do you know what’s in sausages even!?.
Many top brand supermarkets and stores use many sources like this for meat and fish products, open your eyes. Start buying from your local produce supplier’s, of the paltry few left these days.
When food was good and fresh, was when the U.K street markets and butchers / fishmongers and green grocers were bustling, it was a lot fresher than it is now.
since the nation has become obsessed with loyalty schemes and 50% seasonal discounts this is all you will get for your money.
Also bear in mind a fish that you have actually or should have by now seen the river farming process it uses for production is much safer than a meat product that you have not had the insight of viewing the manufacturing process.
GO FRESH, GO LOCAL!
February 27th, 2008 at 9:40 am
For Dan
did you ever get a response ? Is the fish still on sale ?
February 27th, 2008 at 10:28 am
i emailed dan but i don’t know if he did in fact contact tesco. my feelings are that they, like auchan in france, don’t care and just want to sell the fish to anyone who will buy it, no matter how poisonous it is.
March 10th, 2008 at 5:53 am
It is still on sale in Tesco (08/03/08). Is there any information yet to ubstantiate these claims?
March 10th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
you can try to contact the people who made the documentary. my suspicion is that even if tesco knew about this fish, they’d still sell it anyway. this fish is usually in the top 10 profit making items of a grocery store.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Oh dear I have just bought this fish for our dinner tonight and now will take back to the shop for a return
Many Thanks for your comments
March 11th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I have just taken the fish back to Tesco the customer relations were very huffy saying “Tesco would never sell anything dangerous”
I said “well why did I have to bring back Salmon encroute contiminated with diesel just 2 weeks ago”?
No comment from Ms Huffy.
I will buy my fish now on line as I usally do my fishmonger on the beach in Lyme Regis allows to you pan around the counter on- line to choose what you want, deliverd within 24 hours, expensive yes but better than being contiminated especially my children
March 17th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Oh great, I just had some for my dinner! I thought it tasted fine….will wait and see if the puking starts….(bought from the mighty “T”)
March 19th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I have been in touch with customer services at Tesco head office and they are investigating the fish and its source. My daughter ended up at A & E as the stomach pains were so bad. I hope the people who have made comments do not suffer any ill effects,but I will never buy this fish again. I will post again when I receive further feed back from the store
March 20th, 2008 at 6:05 am
A letter was received from the store informing me after investigations with suppliers there were no adverse organolepic comments for the day in question and raw materials are not allowed to be used within production without the receipt of a positive release note from suppliers. Any raw material without a positive release note will be quarantined prior to being used by production. …..well thank goodness for the quarantine department,glad to hear all those horrible bacteria are being dealt with,I feel much better now for knowing all this !!!!!!
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:03 am
I brought this fish for dinner, and i was looking on line for receipes, when i came across this page.
I think it’s a disgrace if this is true and Tesco are still allowed to sell it to the public.
I am going straight to my fridge and now throwing it away.
Why no-one doing anything about this to stop shops selling it?
March 27th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hey, i work on a Tesco’s fish counter, we sell cobbler.
Now I’m not a staunch tescos loyalist, but I have to question this page.
First of all with the hormones, you realise most comercially raised fish are spawned using hormones now? and these hormones may have origionally been sampled from urine but now they’ll be prouced via biotechnology (engineering microbes to produce them).
Also, do you really think that this is being sold all over the country and most people who eat it are being violently ill? Marie, i’m sorry to hear about you and your daughters illness, but thats ,more likely an exception rather than a rule. We get told if someones been ill after eating our stock, and we sell quite a lot of cobbler.
Also this is mothing like the BSE, cows were fed cows, t hat was wrong. Fish on the other hand, especially catfish like cobbler, mostly eat fish anyway, its perfectly healthy.
This page appears to be mostly scaremongering as far as i can see.
March 30th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
The Pangasius fish is a fish among all others. It can be affected as to how and where it is grown however the Vietnamese have among the highest quality processing plants in the world and standards have been implemented to ensure adherence to sustainable production protocols. After all this industry began only ten years ago. We raise Pangasius on our farm in Puerto Rico. It is a very good mild fish which grows quickly and efficiently on a plant based diet. The Pangasius fish offers a sustainable solution to the food and protein needs of a growing human population which has already exhausted the natural supply of our planet.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:10 am
To michael’s : “The Pangasius fish offers a sustainable solution to the food and protein needs of a growing human population which has already exhausted the natural supply of our planet.”
This is an invalid point, the ACTUAL food production is sufficient to feed 12 billion people on the planet and still billions of people are starving. Many farmers have to DESTROY their productions in order to get subsidies from their governement.
March 31st, 2008 at 2:01 pm
The SKY IS FALLING. I’ve been in the seafood industry as a buyer, seller, importer and trader for 15 years in the United States. The EU has the highest standards in the world for illegal chemicals, compounds, and antibiotics. Last I checked, France is in the EU. Every load of seafood must be inspected, and a random sample from EACH lot must be tested in an EU-endorsed laboratory to detect the author’s described poisons. If it possesses these poisons/antibiotics/chemicals, the whole load is rejected.
When it comes to sustainable aquaculture, only a handful of seafood can be raised: catfish, tilapia, hybrid striped sea bass, rainbow trout, shrimp, crawfish, and salmon are about it. Readers, think about it; to compare feed fish to fish to the feeding of bovine byproducts to bovine (cows/steers) is ridiculous! Bovine eat grass naturally – they are omnivores. Meat is not part of a bovine’s natural diet. Fish do eat other fish as part of their natural diets; they are carnivores. Perhaps if Pangas were being fed turkey meal, they might contract the bird flu????
Get a grip on reality. The world’s wild Pollock and Cod fishery has been severely over-fished, and its supply is wholly inadequate to meet the world’s needs. Aquaculture is the only way to meet the world’s needs. Vietnam is at the forefront in the fight to promote safe, eco-friendly farming.
The largest export market in the world for Pangasius Hypophthalmus (called Tra, Sutchi Catfish, or Swai in the US) is the United States. There has not been one reported incident of illness caused by this species. Same goes for Pangasius pangasius (called Ponga in the US). Same for Pangasius bocourti (called Basa in the US). Oh, same with shrimp, either Panneus Monodon (Black Tiger) or Panneus Vannamei (White shrimp), oh, same as with Tilapia, and on and on and on.
Mercury becomes an issue only when consuming seafood at the higher end of the food chain. Tuna and many sharks, as an example, possess a real risk of mercury and other compounds because they eat fish that eat smaller fish, that eat smaller fish, that eat smaller fish and so on. The mercury is concentrated in such types of fish. This is not so with Ponga.
Readers, please do your research to get the facts, rather than taking this one lunatic’s propaganda as fact. What he/she presents as fact is far from the truth.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:00 am
I am rather concerned after reading this page however I have purchased this fish on several occasions and have even prepared this for my 80 year old mother with no adverse affect. The only reason I came accross this page was due to the fact I could not find any information on this fish in my Viertnamese cookbook.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
My wife bought this fish from TESCO. I ate it twice in two weeks (bought on two separate occasions) and was sick and had diarrhoea both times. I should have learned the first time but thought it was a bug going around or something. I will not be eating it again! I sailed up the Mekong Delta last year and can vouch for how dirty it is.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
NEIL.
My wife and i recently purchased smoked river cobbler from the mighty T and found it to be very tasteful and had no ill effects from it so we purchased some more and had it again for tea tonight. So far so good and i’ll let you know of our bodily functions, if any, later in the week. My wife grilled the cobbler with butter and then crumbled white stilton on mine and blue stilton on hers, both were delicious.
April 10th, 2008 at 6:59 am
It would appear TESCO have had no other complaints about this fish,and as I am unable to prove it was the fish that made myself and daughter ill,they will not persue the matter further. Had I known we were going to be ill I would have kept the wrapping and bar code etc from the fish (which is what I was asked to provide) so it could be tested,but who thinks of saving packets or wrappers from fresh meat and fish “just in case”
If you have been ill after this fish and can identify it was the cause perhaps you should report it to the store or head office.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:39 am
I and my partner are big fish eaters, when we go to Malawi our favourite food is a fish known locally as chomba, this a fresh water fish from lake malawi, and is readily available throughought the country, the correct name is tillipia, a river fish which is also sold in tescoes, and is now farmed in england. We had been eating this regulary untill we found the cobbler, which tastes and looks exactly the same as the tillipia, the cobbler I suspect is of the tillipia species. We have never suffered any side effects from either fish, in this country or malawi, and suspect those suffering side effects, may have had other reasons for these
April 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am
I can assure you it was the fish that made us ill,through a matter of elimination this was the only food that could have been responsible.I am sure Chris will say the same.
April 11th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I find some of the entries on this page very useful although I do find some of the info supplied by some users as proposterous!
This fish is a catfish of the ‘pangassius’ family which are natural bottom feeders which actively seek detriutus for food in nature, however a forced diet of protien rich fish derivatives is not uncommon in aquaculture I can garentee you that every salmon steak you have ever eaten has been raised on a diet of fish protien based foodstuffs unless like me you are lucky enough to catch wild salmon that has been nowhere near a ‘stew pool’ , I should know as I have studied Icthyology and aquaculture for some years now.
There is nothing in the exerts from other users which strikes me as ‘out of the ordinary’ due to the scaremongering tactics of a possibly illinformed researcher; aquaculture is not an answer to sustainable food resources as the long term effects on the environment are potentially deadly for the biodiverse ecosystems surrounding these farms.
If you want an example of environmentally disastrous aquaculture, take a flight to Indonesia and look at how the damage of farming everyones beloved tiger prawns affects the environment; it is quite frankly disgusting or even worse chinese soft shelled turtle farming (another love child of Tesco’s worldwide profiteering)
Conclusion
Aquaculture is damaging to the environment and if you want to complain about it carry on but I do suggest that you research things a little more before you explain the implications of badly cooked fish.
every imported food stuff that makes its way into the UK market must be given strict testing before it is deemed suitable for our delicate european stomachs.
in the mean time, stay away from cod and hake and haddock etc and if your not sure if you can stomach it then dont sample the tastes!
I have eaten cobbler on a number of occasions in this country and the far east, its ok and pretty good eating.
Dont gang up and boycott this fish as you all definately have more shocking products in your larder’s.
entry number 3 by Adam your absolutely right,
Go Fresh Go Local
April 19th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Very unbalanced sensationalist, poorly researched article. May make a good point or two but it’s all lost in twisted deceptive narative.
Fish aren’t herbivores so it’s nothing like BSE..
Hormones are used in ALL fish and meat farming operations. Some of these hormones might be derived from urine – but it’s a long way from them being injected with pee…
Only a proportion of this fish comes from vietnam, let alone the mekong river…
Different farms use different products – so they won’t all be the same. We live in an international economy, and goods are traded worldwide, I doubt the food is brought from south america by air, so it’s not surprising that the materials used on any farm can be traced to internation origins. My local farmer use fence posts from canada, does that mean I should boycott him too? – of course not.
Marie, I’m sorry you got ill, but it sounds more like food poisoning (organic – viral/bacteria) than any kind of toxicity. I have no idea how you could pinpoint it to this fish (it could be virus say), even if it was from this fish, it’s not a problem with species as a whole, and just the batch you had, which can happen with any variety.
April 21st, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I’ve been buying, eating and serving pangasius to others for about 5 months now – I’m sure I’ve eaten it at least 20 times as well as been in the company of several other co-workers who’ve eaten the fish – and we’ve had zero cases of anyone getting sick or reported to have gotten sick at all. 145 degrees is what we cook it up to and all is well.
April 27th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
I bought this fish from Tesco yesterday for our dinner tonight. Delicious
taste and I thought it was Panga but I wasn’t sure til I saw this report. Really scary and all Pangas in this world come from the Mekiong River?. I thought it was farmed somewhere in Europe as I ate it a couple of
times before in Spain. I must say nothing happened to me then but I don’t think I will buy it anymore after reading that report. Tesco still sells because I bought yesterday and it comes with this sticker saying “new”, maybe they don’t know how and where they farm it as we customers
April 29th, 2008 at 4:33 am
I had an violent allergic attack from this fish. And i have never had any problems with eating fish. It started about 2-3hours after i had eaten the fish it started to itch allover my body but it went away after about 1hour then i went to sleep and was in for quite a surprise the morning after. My face had blown up like a balloon and i had red itching marks all over my body again. Conclusion for me is to never eat this fish again and im going to the hospital today just to check that im not allergic to anything else. I ate the fish this saturday today is tuesday and i still got the red marks and itching on me.
Mattias, Sweden
May 9th, 2008 at 1:55 am
I Live in Spain and Panga is sold in all supermarkets fresh & frozen
the locals who are very into fish use it and I use it
so far my wife and I have not had any ill affects and I have not heard of anyone being ill after eating Panga
Maybe the problem is that these people have an allergy the same as shellfish which can affect lots of people
May 10th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
We’ve been eating this fish, and Tilapia, from Tesco ever since they introduced it, with no ill effects. It’s the nicest fish we’ve eaten, and cheap too. Next time our local Tesco have a delivery I’m going to stock up our freezer with River Cobbler.
It could be that this fish isn’t farmed in Vietnam anyway, but have you ever smelled the River Severn here when the overspill soilage from the Farm fields is washed into it and the sewerage works aren’t “working” properly? You can buy nice fresh wild Salmon caught from the River Severn. Don’t eat fish from the Irish Sea…it’s radioactive (Sellafield?) and fish from the Atlantic it contains high levels of Mercury……Bon Appetite.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Had this fish tonight (before I found this page).
Very tasty – my ‘other half’ baked it with herbs and spices in the oven and served it with peas and new potatoes and it was delicious.
I ate it about ten hours ago and have had no adverse effects.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:25 am
I found River Cobbler in Tesco several weeks ago & have been using both the Smoked & plain variety in fish pies and it makes a very tasty addition.
i have a very delicate tummy & have never had any reaction to this fish.
as far as i can see any food that we buy now a days is contaminated with something or other and we still eat it , What choice do we have really other than to starve
May 17th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Well – I was a little shocked at what I read here at first as I had just recommended it to my friends!
My husband and I regularly eat this fish (had some last night) as it is one of the few fish that is easy to eat as it has no bones and it is very tasty.
I always steam it along with the vegetables and can’t say we have had any ill effects from this and will probably continue to buy it!
So I don’t know if it is just a coincidence that others have had a reaction – or perhaps it is some kind of allergy they have to that particular fish?
May 18th, 2008 at 11:12 am
My grandson (4) absolutly loves smoked fish poached in butter and milk with bread and butter. I have cooked cobbler this way on a number of occassions. Before I discovered cobbler, costing £2-£3, I always used smoked haddock or cod, usually costing about £8 – £10. If I can’t get to Tesco’s, I use haddock or cod and have often been told ‘this is tastless’. On the other hand my husband who is a fish lover, always comments on the difference in taste, when cobbler is used. None of my family has ever suffered any ill effects after eating it and I will certainly continue to buy it!!
May 18th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Bought it 2 days ago, looked for a recipe and found this site. Yikes! Didn’t tell the wife. Cooked it, ate it and we both enjoyed it. Then I told her. We’re both okay but she hasn’t spke to me for 2 days. Must get some more!
May 19th, 2008 at 12:00 am
[...] there’s a post drawing off the French documentary on a site called dietmindspirit.org. This post adds a whole list of vague assertions: 1. Pangas are [...]
May 19th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
yes we have a choice we know about food that will be good for us but should not be lied to i will be outside my local tesco making people aware of this product
May 28th, 2008 at 5:01 am
I had this for my tea last night…before reading this. It was very nice and I recommend it to anybody. This article could be adapted for pretty much any meat that is sold in our supermarkets.
May 30th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Vietnamese River Cobbler only bought 26.05.08!!!!!!!!!!!from Tesco.
Appalling answer from Tesco just now!Called 30.05.08 at 17.15 PM complaining of what I read ref this fish ( Vietnamese River Cobbler ) and as humanly expected the excuses came out,the lady I was talking to was trying hard to convince me that type of fish WOULDN’T be sold if not fit for human consumption, well frankly since I’m fighting cancer and on the road to recovery if cancer doesn’t kill me at the end I’m lucky to have Tesco by my side to reassure me that all is safe.ABSOLUTE SHAM
May 30th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
my kids love this fish – the pangasius or basa fish – comes in frozen fillets. thaw it, then soak in beaten egg and cover w/ bread crumbs/salt/pepper mixture, then cook it deep fried – we had this for dinner the other nite it was sooo good. we’ve been eating this fish for years now and so far no allergic reaction or any illness whatsoever. what bothers me is that – Does pangasius have scales? i’ve been doing the research for 2 days still couldnt find the answer. i know that all fish w/o fins and scales are dirty by nature and should not be eaten (ref. Leviticus chapter 11 verses 9 to 12). Leviticus doesnt elaborate more, but in reality this kind of fish are the scavengers of the sea – that explains why they are dirty.
May 31st, 2008 at 8:24 am
My husband and I went out for dinner in France yesterday and engorged ourselves on this delicous fish. It came on a skewer, like a satay, on a bed of dried tomatoes, olives and pesto. It was heavenly. Now, 24 hours later, both of us are completely fine. We will definitely continue eating it.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:15 am
I strongly disagree with the negative comments regarding the Pangasius fish. We serve this fish for more than 2 years now, it is a bestseller , because it is affordable and very tasty. We never had any complains regarding getting sick or ill. I eat this fish at least once a week, steamed with garlic and lime, it is delicious. Maybe people who get sick try to put the blame on this fish, maybe they should look deeper and find the real reason.
June 5th, 2008 at 5:17 am
I strongly disagree with the negative comments regarding the Pangasius fish. We serve this fish for more than 2 years now, it is a bestseller , because it is affordable and very tasty. We never had any complains regarding getting sick or ill. I eat this fish at least once a week, steamed with garlic and lime, it is delicious. Maybe people who get sick try to put the blame on this fish, maybe they should look deeper and find the real reason. If I had any reason to believe, that people get sick or it would be dangerous to my and my customers health, I would take this fish immediately off my Menue
June 9th, 2008 at 3:55 am
I have eaten this fish before sold in frozen form by leading S’pore supermarket chain NTUC and others. I have not experienced any health problems. Maybe this is a bad rumour similar to aspartame (artificial sweetening agent) where someone or organisation got jealous and said all the bad things about aspartame and that it causes cancer. I have taken aspartame for the last 5 years (and I’m still taking on daily basis) and I’m very healthy.
June 9th, 2008 at 7:28 am
Perfect journalism
Congratulations!
June 10th, 2008 at 5:14 am
I thoroughly enjoy this fish. It’s delicious and i have been eating this fish for years and have had NO adverse side-effects. If anything, i crave to eat this fish. I seriously think that if we do go about ALL the diffrent processed food, i am sure every food that we eat is pretty much “frightening”. Turn vegetarian…..even then, there could still be frightening processes when cleaning these veggies as well……
Seriously, this fish is great.
June 10th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I live in Sydney, Australia and came across this fish(BASSA) about 6 months ago in a restaurant. It tasted good and easy to eat. Then found out they are sold in super markets Woolworths, Coles and local fish mongers, so they are everywhere. I also found that more and more chinese restaurants are using this fish for fillets on the menu instead of ‘Ling fish fillet’ which is tough & chewy . I ate it at lease 5 times over the past few months and had no side effect so far. i would not eat it constantly because I like to eat other fish too. It certainly one of the cheaper fish! It is about Aust$9.00/ kg….
June 11th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Although I don’t condone commercial aquaculture in the south feeding us in the north, one aspect of the unfortunate cases of upset stomachs above may not be to do with the fish per-se, but in fact the hygiene conditions at the big T and other sources, such as not cooking it well enough.
I seem to recall a documentary exposing appalling cleanliness and hygiene issues at the big supermarkets’ fresh food counters not too long ago, and as we all know contamination can enter the food chain at many different stages of its processing.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
In fact 1 reason is already enough to make me stop eating Pangas or whatever, and that is because of dehydrated pee, and that’s because I’m a very hygenic person, and with all those other reasons I dont thing I’ll even have a bite of that fish my whole life!
June 13th, 2008 at 9:27 am
http://mattsteinglass.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/thou-blackguard-thou-slanderest-my-fish/
Read this, things u read on the internet are usually exaggerated.
June 13th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
We have eaten both plain and smoked Cobbler for several months now from Tesco. I had a tumour in the bowel many years ago and suffer from bouts of diarrhoea, never once have I suffered after eating this fish, so I shall continue to eat and enjoy. We would never be able to eat anything if we listened to all the scaremongers.
June 17th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
I think eating all types of fishes are safe, even the well-known poisonous puffer fish after the toxins are remove carefully. Generally fishes are safe to be eaten. The only exception then is where do they come from, how are they bred. That is the source of water where they are bred and fed. If the source is contaminated then you can say that the chances of the fish being unsuitable for consumption is high. So one must first determined if the source of water is safe. If we have knowledge that the source of water is contaminated then all of us must avoid whatever fishes that swims in it at all cost and no matter how tasty the fish is on that plater! It is just common sense and what you read on the Internet is not exaggeration but some kind soul cautioning you to be aware of such an incident.
June 21st, 2008 at 6:45 am
HI Dan
Anyone out there that is about to buy this fish. DON’T!
I bought it four days ago and after eating it I have been feeling sick and uncomfortable also vomiting. Today 4th day after eating it is the first day I have not been sick.
I will be writting to my local Tesco and asking them to investigate this fish and why they are still selling it.
And this is not scaremongering it could only have been the fish I had eaten which made me so bad.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Just read some of these stories and OH MY GOD!!! what have my family just tried to eat, initially bought in haste having picked up the wrong box in TESCO (thought i’d bought cod fillets) it was’nt until it had been cooked and put on our plates for dinner that we realised something was’nt right.The fish tasted awful, it had a kind of cleaning fluid taste and smelt strange too, i cant believe some people actually enjoy this fish. Our fingers are now crossed that we do’nt become ill.I will definately never buy this product again and shall complain to TESCO about it and hopfully it will be removed from sale as surely customers health is more important than the profit on this sh##e.Probably shop at a different supermarket too.
June 25th, 2008 at 5:14 am
Dehydrated pee ? U mean there are dried pee out there ? Do they sell Dried Beer ? Dried Wine ? All you need to do is soak it in water and BANG ! Magic ?
Some of you people are so so so guillable and I am appalled that those from so called ” industrialised country” are actually hillbillies !
June 28th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Had some of this glorious fish tonight,it is not bland,tasteless or would be for sale without rigorous testing,this is without doubt the worst scaremongering i have ever seen,it is quite scary too, comparing it with mad cow disease is ridiculous.I will be contacting tesco myself tonight,but not to complain,just to congratulate the Vietnamese fishermen on a job and a fish well sold.Anyone out there,do not miss out on a treat,this fish is tasty,inexpensive and helps take pressure off our cod and haddock stocks,try it.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:28 am
It is unfortunate that the people who claim to have gotten ill (food poisioning) blaim the problem on the species rather than the far more obvious cause of how the fish was kept stored, how long it was left on the shelves ect.
Please, I urge anyone who takes this article literal to investigate on their own. Pangasius hypothalmus is an omnivoires fish that resembles the American catfish. And it poses a large threat to that industry ( wonder if the propagandist who wrote this article has anystock there? hmm makes you wonder huh?)
A little actual information on the green issue. Pangasius is a sustainable fish in fact it is most sustainable. Aquaculture is a growing business in order to curb our worlds need for wild fish, if we hunted animals on lan at the same pace we caught wild fish people would think we were crazy. It is important to farm…fish. Now, most fish that are farmed are carnivores and need to suppliment their diet (fish feed) with natural fish. In order to do this millions of natural andchovies are caught ground up and made into a powder and added to soy and compressed into feed balls. Pangasius and other omnivoires like tilapia are fed just soy feed and seem to grow well on it. Eliminating the need for catching wild anchovies. We can grow soy and turn it into feed and grow pangasius forever causing it to be sustainable.
It is unfortunate that the ignorance of some people can change the perception of something foriegn into something less desirable and create fear in the eyes of the mainstream, maybe that speaks for our world as a whole and the problems there in. I encourage you to try pangasius before you judge it, and learn the truth behind it from different sources before you go on assuming that one person (a propogandist) is 100% correct.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
cream dory! yummy!
July 6th, 2008 at 10:28 am
I have bought smoked river cobbler every week for the last couple of month.
My daughter and I eat it at the same time and neither of us has ever been ill as a result of eating it.
However, after reading this page I will be doing a lot of investigating before I buy it again.
July 8th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I had never heard of this fish until three days and have since eaten it twice. It has a pleasant flavour, no irritating bones and I am feeling in excellent health so it clearly isn’t immediately lethal. Research on the internet suggests that US interests are objecting to competition from basa imports, so I wonder if that is driving some sort of campaign against this product?
July 11th, 2008 at 8:58 am
this is crazy
July 16th, 2008 at 9:31 am
The dangers of these salacious blogs is that ill-informed consumers and retailers will read this as ‘gospel’ and will act based on this misinformation. National Enquirer, World Weekly News, and other reputable pubs also influence perceptions and behaviors. Take a minute to investigate government and industry data on this fishery and you’ll see that it is well managed and safe. Europe consumes a significant amount of this fish now with no issues relative to safety/supply. We are just starting to see this in the States and it offers a less expensive (not going to use the derogatory ‘cheap’ term) white fish option. It goes 100% in the face of US catfish suppliers who don’t want this fish in the market. That’s fueling much of the negative press. You need only look at the tariffs passed against Asian shrimp – driven by the Southern Shrimp Alliance to see the power of lobby dollars and scare tactics.
July 18th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Anyone frightened by this scaremongering, please go to the BBC Good Foods site, where you’ll find that Tesco’s Vietnamese River Cobblers are in fact farmed in Britain. It seems the name of this fish isn’t the only cobblers you’ll find on the internet.
It’s a very tasty fish. My daughter & I love it.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I bought smoked River Cobbler from Tesco today for the first time and made it into a fish pie topped with creamy mashed potato. It was delicious. The raw fish was good because it has no bones and had a firm texture. I was so interested in this new fish I looked it up on the internet and found this site. I think that there is a level of scaremongering on this site. I won’t have a problem in buying this fish again.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I also bought smoked River Cobbler from Tesco today and also for the first time. I am going to try that fish in this afternoon.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:22 am
All you have to do is a little bit of research on US catfish lobbying to see why they don’t want a high quality in-expensive fish entering into mainstream US consumer acceptance.
July 25th, 2008 at 8:39 am
after reading this blog i would like to see an educated and informed response from the food standards agency or wwhat ever organisation fulfils that obligation in the U.K.
my self and family have eaten this fish without ill effect but will not continue to do so until it is considered safe beyond reasonable doubt.
July 27th, 2008 at 7:07 am
[...] according to certain reports; the Pangas breed in ponds contain industrial effluents, arsenic, and toxic and hazardous [...]
July 27th, 2008 at 7:25 am
My wife and I have been eating River Cobbler for many months now, at least once a week, and have had no ill effects at all. It is very tasty, especially with dash of lemon juice.
In fact we will be having it again very soon.
July 27th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
My family have been taking this fish for quite sometime now and have had no illness whatsoever. Fish in general are prone to bacteria just by improper handling, so do take extra care when buying and cooking.
I guess for now we’ll have to wait for some official news that indeed these species are not fit for human consumption like with other hundreds of products out there (i.e. french fries)
July 28th, 2008 at 6:46 am
I was affected at first after reading the adverse articles and emails, as I and my family members have been eating the fish for many years. The fish tasted great on its own (steamed or fried) or cooked with other ingredients.
But after doing some reading and reflecting, I realised that there are a lot of scare-mongering around for commercial interests, especially capitalising on what we fear most – health of our family and young ones. In the competitive fish market, there are a lot of competitors around who will resort to scaremongering to bring down those who are doing much better.
Testing the fish is something which can be easily done and markets like EU, USA and Australia/NZ markets are difficult to please when it comes to standards especially if there have been cases of ill-effects.
So, I will not yield to another scare-mongering (many still floating around after many years)probably with vested commercial interests. Let me go on enjoying the fish, hopefully at a cheaper price!
July 29th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
My family and I eat this fish all the time and its tasty and there has never been any problem with it whatsoever. maybe you kept the fish too long or you had a bad one. dont be put off by this page…its a load of rubbish!
July 31st, 2008 at 4:20 pm
I ate Basa Fillets for the first time last week and was seriously ill about six hours later requiring A and E attendance. Purchased and cooked the same day. In fairness three others eating the fish did not suffer any ill efects. Did anyone else suffer ill-effects other than stomach pains?
August 1st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I bought this fish today, again from Tesco, and have to see after cooking it properly, is a fabulous and value for money fish.
To the uneducated idiots who claim to have contracted sickness from the fish, learn to cook it properly, and hey wash you hands before preparing it. Food poisoning DOES NOT HAPPEN THAT QUICKLY, you’re clearly full of shit.
THE TESCO COBBLER IS FARMED IN THE UK, WHICH MEANS STRICT REGULATION, AND LOTS OF TESTING.
August 2nd, 2008 at 5:04 am
Cobblers!
What a lovely fish, steamed it with chilli, garlic, ginger, corriander and lime juice. Yummy yummy yummy
Well filleted, fresh and cooked properley I cannot see any issue.
My only concern was the carbon footprint issue ie the fish coming from vietnam, (the baby sweetcorn came from thailand)
If its being grown in Britain we are on to a winner. All catfish eat crap and forage on the bottom infact most fish will eat almost anything.
If this fish was being bred and raised in vietnam and then shipped to the UK surely it would cost a lot more about 5 times as much infact.
We should me more concerned about all the packaging around food products and the distance its travelled than scarmongering on the food itself!
August 14th, 2008 at 4:21 am
I am eating this right now and was so impressed that I had to Google it- and this page came up. AND YES I AM STILL EATING IT!!!! Steamed it with ginger, spring onions, soy sauce and sesame oil YUM YUM!!!! and for 1.30 for a big fillet I’m going back to get some more!
With all the laws now regarding food regulations, health and safety, being PC blahblahblah — surely they can’t let a simple thing like ‘injected with URINE’ go unchecked – this page is hilarious!
August 15th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
i had river cobbler for the first time last night after purchasing it from tescos. about 3 hours after eating it i had the worst stomach pains i have ever experienced and then spent the next 2 hours vomiting.
i did not associate the fish with my illness until i found this website, i thought i had just caught some kind of bug. i only came on this website because i was looking for a picture of a river cobbler as my mum wanted to know what the fish we ate last night looked like, i never thought i would find a website where it seems the fish may be the cause of my awful night last night!
not everyone may have suffered these effects but i will definitely never be eating river cobbler again, i cannot go through what i went through last night ever again!
August 17th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Like many ppl here, unfortunately I ran into this fish unknowingly too (farmed in the Mekong-delta, Vietnam, from Tesco).
I did not vomit or got diarrhea but after having eaten one of the pieces I got bad stomach, felt very weak in 30-50 mins, my lymph nodes grew very big on both sides of my neck and could feel them when swallowing. This lasted for 3 days! This fish was the only new thing in my diet to previous days, so no doubt this caused the effects and it was not allergy.
I got very pissed and contacted the Food Standard Agency. http://www.food.gov.uk/aboutus/contactus/
Fish and Shellfish Department
They asked for my post code and according to that told me which council I should turn to.
At my local council I was taken seriously, they took the sample(I ate just one piece of the 2) and started an investigation, on one hand checking the toxic level in lab, on the other hand checking Tesco’s quality assurance regarding this product.
I was told that it’s best for their investigation if other ppl who were affected would contact them too as if it is just me, who had prolems with the fish, they won’t be able to do much (not enough evidence). But if the agency gets evidence from other sources too, it will definitely facilitate their investigation and gives them more power to act.
So I would like to ask everyone who got sick of this kind of imported fish not to be lazy and report the incident at FSA (link above) or at your local council. It is our interest to help removing dangerous products from the shelves.
August 17th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
even if the documentary proves that the featured fish farm was indeed using dirty water, bad fish meal, etc, that doesn’t mean the fish farmed itself is bad. with the pangas, they’re now farmed everywhere including other countries such as malaysia, philippines, thailand, america… most of the fish we get probably came from a fish farm rather than the mekong river. also other types of fish get treated some way or another.
what about the farmed salmon? farmed salmon don’t get that natural pink/orange color which we associate with salmon, instead they’re graying in color. so farmers feed them a form of dye to give them this distinct color. locally produced, not natural.
and if you’re scared of what they do to fish, you should be more scared of what they do to the other farmed animals. for example chickens because they put way more chemicals into chickens at least with fish, they grow naturally and farmers only force feed them to make them grow faster, chickens are injected steriods, antibiotics, etc to make them grow faster and bigger. oh and speaking of going local or natural, that doesn’t mean they’re actually better. a typical large scale fish farm still uses commercial feeds for their fish.a small fish farm might grow naturally their fish feed but to do this, they will have to use a form of fertilizer to get the natural food to grow if its not commercial fertilizer then the organic ones such as chicken manure which due to the chemicals used in chicken is also full of chemicals.
we’re bound to get sick from food sometime in our lifetimes but most likely its due to food storage or preparation more than the food itself that causes sickness – ie leaving fish in room temp, using contaminated chopping board etc.
instead of condemning a particular type of food, better just be wary of the stores you buy them from. if they’re the type who source their products from questionable sources or if they don’t have proper sanitation then you have a big problem.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Gabbs said
“At my local council I was taken seriously, they took the sample(I ate just one piece of the 2) and started an investigation, on one hand checking the toxic level in lab”
Would Gabbs very kindly post the lab result for us all to see?
thank you
August 24th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Bought smoked cobbler last week for first time for hubby. Who was most impressed and has asked it be bought again. No ill effects at all. Oh and as far as the injected pee – don’t all fish ingest fish/whale/turtle etc pee and faeces whilst swimming round anyway? Or is there a huge filter at the bottom of the sea somewhere?
September 8th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
“The pangas grow at a speed light (practically!): 4 times faster than in nature…so it makes you wonder what exactly is in their food? Your guess is as good as mine.”
So which is it, you write an article about the things that are in the pangas food then you say you don’t know what is in the food? At least be consistent.
This fish wasn’t exactly dirt cheap either. SO the reason so many people eat it? Because it’s godammed tastey. I recommend people try it wrapped in tinfoil and stuck on the barbeque, just be sure to pierce the foil at the bottom a few minutes before you take it off the heat.
This is the first page i’ve read on this site and i’ll happily be avoiding it for the rest of my happy life. Is it a pseudo science opinion site or what?
September 9th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
my local fish shop started selling this(pangasius)its alot cheaper than cod and seems popular.after having it a few times i decided to get my self a case 5kg(i know the owner)it was very cheap.i came across this page trying to find the nutritional info for it.i have also come across various other bad reports regarding it.first off the reports on toxins seem to be true random tests carried out in australia have found various toxins in the fish.also when you see where the fish lives its not nice.
check these videos out with regard to the toxins found in oz who import alot of the stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx4cykHy0RM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXGAgYw4JZk
lastly
i have had this fish around 8 times so far and have had no ill effects at all.i will use up what i have left but will not be buying anymore.to me its not worth the risk of eating the toxins,plus would you eat a fish that has been brought up in a sewer effectively?.i also dont believe the uk to be more on the ball to testing imported food stuffs.
also could the person who is getting tests at trading standards give an update please
let me know your opinions on eating the fish now after viewing the videos
September 12th, 2008 at 1:13 am
I had ate vietnamese river cobblers (pangasius) before. Its very tasty that I bought 2 bags of river cobbler fillets and 1 bag of basa fillets. I didn’t realized they are the same kind of fish. I was searching on the internet for a good river cobblers recipe. I came across a few different website including this one. After hearing about Mekong river and the condition of these fishes. It really frighten me that I end up throwing all 3 bags in the trash. I know its such a waste but I don’t want to take a chance of getting myself or anybody ill.
September 16th, 2008 at 6:48 am
My family and I sat down for a meal last night with the Tesco white fish (breaded I think). It had a very strong ‘chemically taste’ and thankfully my wife and kids (aged 2 and 6) would not eat it – I did persevere and ate it. It got us curious and we looked at the package a bit closer. So I thought I would research Pangasious Fish which is why I am here. I am not going to personally touch this stuff again.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:44 am
oh my god, just eaten 2 fillets, it was lovely. hope im gonna be ok !!!!!
September 20th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I at every time but i am not sick. only after i looked inside the fich using amicroscope in my school,i saw a lot of bacteria in it, YUCK.
September 20th, 2008 at 5:57 am
dragon guy.i would be more worried about the bacteria in garage fore-court sandwiches, having seen the documentary that stated pre-packed sandwiches can have more bacteria than an average toilet seat. but back to topic i also just bought some cobbler from tesco but i wont be eating it till i know were it was raised
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Oh i think Marie stomache got problems on the day she got fishes but not the fishes…we have this fish everyweek and no problems as you said….also please remember that Europe is a strict place where the authority always have the quality procedure & quality check before they could approve for any products to be imported into their countries …please read about the facts and know exactly what kind of fish before saying….dont ruin people’s business like that….if the products got problems, surely authority will investigate
September 25th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Perhaps if you read the cooking instructions, & ensure you are observing proper hygiene – you may enjoy this fish, as I have, with no ill effects!
September 26th, 2008 at 7:58 am
for those who are concerned about this fish having scales or not, it seems not according to the following link:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-8q0H1LE5dKcT4mEKgeRotg–?cq=1&p=9
September 29th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I have just bought some of the River Cobbler, and am looking forward to trying it personally.
This page has been interesting if nothing else.
Comments have been strongly for or against, but no one who became ill after eating this has mentioned whether or not they are allergic to crayfish, shrimp or any other bottom feeding fish.
I come from Louisiana, and was raised on Catfish and assorted shellfish. The people I have met or introduced to catfish, and then had a reaction (i.e. vomiting, rash diarrheao), were all found to have some sort of allergic reaction to bottom feeding fish and crustaceans, but not to other fish like Tuna or Salmon.
Could the simple answer be for all of you who have had problems after eating, that you are just unable to eat this variety???
Either way, I’ll let everyone know whether or not we’ve become ill after trying it.
Watch this space!
September 30th, 2008 at 1:41 am
I am from the Philippines where this type of fish is selling abundantly in our big groceries. I have been serving this to my family for several months already. So far, i already came up with 3 recipes, all of which my children love, but of course without signs and symptoms of them getting ill.
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Is this fish the same as what they call “Cream Dory” in the Philippine market? Cream dory is now very popular in the Philippines and it just taste so good. They are also sold in fillets and i haven’t seen any of it with head that is why I can not tell if it’s the same type of fish.
October 5th, 2008 at 1:58 am
It is a ultra good informations on poluted foods, espoecially those popular ones. I am not going to eat these fish any more and also those products like fish balls, crabs claw etc.
Once my friend told me that in the midst of eating meat floss bought from Siam, while drinking, he discovered a piece of bone looked like the claws of a rat. Since then I never like to take meat or chicken floss any more. In fact there are many food products that contain toxic and heavy metals causing bad health to us. Recently Chinese milk powder is another tinted case.
To avoid ill health, I suggest that we eat more fruits and vegetables every day.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:38 am
I am french and I also saw this documentary. First it comes from a sensation magazine (not information) on M6. I spent 4 months in Vietnam on Pangasius farm and I can say that some information are totally wrong. Pangasius is omnivorous so it’s like a cow who eat cow, it’s like human who eat meat. A lot of fish are omnivorous or carnivorous, don’t confuse with ruminants!
Then there is no link between pregnant woman urine and hormones which are used for induced spawning. That’s a totally artificial hormone which is also use in Salmon and trout.
I ate panga before going to Vietnam and I continue now, I ate panga directly on the farm, not well cooked and wasn’t ill!
If you find Panga in a supermarket, it passed the same microbiological test than a trout or a tuna. This fish has certainly a lower level of heavy metal than tuna! A lot of documentation on this subject.
For information: Trout and salmon are also fed with pellets based on fish meal and fish oil!
If you want to post a comment which have right infoormation and reference, okay no problem but if it’s just to break a subsidiary, please be kind of stopping it!
October 6th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Hi Isabel/Ysmael,
Where did you buy your cobblers? We usually get ours from S&R and so far, none of us in the family have had bad effects with our GastroIntes. My mom just bought a new brand now (not sure how far long).. and I just realized last night that its from Vietnam.. which got me worried. The ones we used to get from S&R are unbranded (I guess S&R packs it themselves)… they seem ok.
October 8th, 2008 at 9:01 am
I have yet to see any evidence that the claims this article makes are true.
Where are the studies? Where are the facts?
I eat a similar fish called Hammour and have never been ill (unless it’s not cooked properly of course!)
October 8th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
ew man that’s gross
October 9th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Yup, this type of fish fillet are available in carrefour here in Al-Khobar Saudi Arabia. My wife serve this with vegies soup dish and perfect. It’s a clean fish meat otherwise those people writing against this fish maybe right. On the fish counter what i notice in one this fillet brand”which i suggets everyone should avoid” thers another type that market sells another fish fillet that has a darker red color fish meat which my friend told me cause him to vomit big time and scratch his skin because of eating it. The white meat taste good and weve been comsuming it since last year. Actually Saudi Arabia is also strict when it comes to products that are not Halal that enters the kingdom.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Are you saying that the French government is stupid enough to allow its importation without verifying its quality.
With regards to the use of HCG (the hormone used to induce the spawning of the fish is the same hormone used to spawn the salmon, channel catfish and majority of cultured fishes that are induced. It is indeed isolated from the urine of pregnant women and are purified. In fact, if you check this out in your local pharmacy, this is actually a drug used to induce pregnancy in humans. Try checking out these brands of HCG: Pregnyl, Follutein, Profasi, and Novarel.
Female fish injected with HCG in very small doses are not eaten! and never converted to fillet.
Please do your homework to verify facts first before spreading rumors!
October 10th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Many East Asian and Indo-chinese cultures have survived eating fresh-water fishes for eons. Infact fresh-water fish culture is very much part and parcel of a very stable ecological/agricultural practice the Chinese have developed. Fresh-water fishes are always grown together with pigs and market gardening activities. Vegetative produce goes to feed the people and its waste and surpluses (including water-plants) goes to feed the pigs. Human and animals solid wastes are captured and digested for organic farm fertilizer (manure)before liquid from the waste goes into pond number one. Here the organic liqor fertilizes the water plants and breeds water insects and craetaceas. The roots of the water-plants act as a filter and purifier before water are allow to go to the next pond where fish are reared.The fish feeds on the water insects and more water-plants.Fishes reared are various carp species, cat-fish, snake-heads. giant-geramis and tilapia (originally from Africa)and the fish goes to feed the human beings. What a perfect system! If some of the poor nations can adopt this methods there shouldn’t be any famine in the world. This farming method have fed billions of Chinese and East Asians since God knows when.
These days with land shortages, cat-fishes are grown in concrete tanks between rows of poultry houses in esp. SE Asia. Poultry carcasses are thoroughly boiled down and milled with poultry mesh to form a moist pellet to be fed to the fishes in the tanks. These expensive tank reared fish are sold live to wet markets or dressed to posh restaurants and hotels (maybe exported as well). Nothing is wasted! (the fish trimmings go back to feed other growing fish). How ingenious!
October 11th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I am a chef from the Philippines. I have been serving pangasius for 8 months at my restaurant. I eat it myself with a pepper-hoisin sauce after searing and baking. Speaking for myself, I have yet to regurgitate any remnants of intoxicated fish. Speaking for my customers, they keep returning BECAUSE of the tasty almost hard egg white flavored fish.
October 14th, 2008 at 3:52 am
whoever wrote the article most probably has not see the Mekong River yet. I will agree that some parts of the river are polluted but Mekong is such a huge river that it extends to other countries. The rate of exchange of water is huge bec of the monsoon rains.
BY the way, they use the same water to irrigate their rice fields..So shall we stop eating rice too?
Hormones- Pls name me a fish specie that is commercially mass produced in hathceries that DOES NOT USE hormones..ALL FISH hatcheries use hormones for faster growth and better egg yield!
THis fish is world’s most popular fish. All shipments out of Vietnam gets tested for anti-biotics, salmonella, E.coli, etc..
Did the person who wrote the article visit any processing plants in Vietnam? Probably not.. I have seen a lot of plants in vietnam. They all have metal detectors that can detect differnt kinds of metal including stainless steel.
Maybe the writer can do tests on panga fillet and salmon and see which fish has higher mercury content?
My family eats it all the time. My 7 year old son loves it and never got sick from eating panga fillet.
October 14th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I bought a pack of ’4 breaded Chunky White Fish’ frozen portions, thinking they were Cod, Got home read the small print, Pangasius fillets ??????, farmed in Vietnam,produced and packed in Poland for Tesco Stores Ltd.
Looked up Pangasius fish, top of the list this site, read site contents. Result, fish in bin,and resolved to read the small print on ANY Tesco product and others. Just do’nt eat King Prawns, re the Daily Mail article !!!!!!! NO trust in any multinational food supplier.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:51 am
Me and my girlfriend enjoyed some very tasty river cobbler with chilli, garlic and lime last night. I’ve eaten this fish many times and found it to be delicious each time and have never been ill.
There’s nothing clever about this kind of Daily Mailesque scaremongering. If the food wasn’t safe to eat and didn’t meet strict British and EU guidelines, Tesco and others simply would not be allowed to sell it. Fact.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
There is such a rave about a particular type of fish in our local groceries here in the city of Manila, Philippines. It doesn’t have the fishy odor and sold packed in fillets. They are labeled CREAM DORY. Are these one and the same type of fish? Please advice because many of my friends and family have been buying this for quite some time already. Thank you
October 20th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
YES. Cream Dory is indeed Pangasius. Most of the stocks that you will see in the supermarkets here in the Phil. still come from vietnam (especially the very white fillets). Although our local aquaculture industry is starting to be successful in commercial scale production of Pangasius (cream dory, basa, river cobbler, etc.)and you may have started buying locally grown CREAM DORY fillets (a yellower shade fillet).
Fact: Although vietnam imports seem to be cheaper than locally produced fillet, their products are glazed during their freezing process so you are actually getting only 75 to 80% of the weight in actual meat. The rest is just ice.
I have been in the aquaculture industry for more than 10 years (tilapia, bangus, catfish, etc.) and I have to say that there is nothing different to how Pngasius is being raised or cultured.
The use of hormones to induce spawning in fish species is a technology used worldwide. Did you know that hormones are even used for sex reversal in tilapia? and how long have you been eating tilapia?
Commercial feeds are used to feed fish in aquaculture and use feed formulation technology to ensure a balanced diet for the specie. The use of fishmeal in the diets is but normal if not essential to provide a balanced protein and amino acid profile. fish are naturally carnivores or omnivores so it doesn’t make any difference.
In fact, feed-fed fish are safer in a sense for the raw materials used to manufacture feeds(e.g. plant proteins, animal proteins, grains, etc.) go through a strict quality assurance system and are analysed for salmonella, e. coli, aflatoxins, heavy metal contents, etc. before they are used.
I have to say that this article seems to say a lot about aquaculture without knowing the facts behind the industry. EU and the US have the strictest quality assurance systems in the world when it comes to food and if it passes the retrospective analysis they have in place then there’s nothing that can top that. The US have even heightened their acceptance parameters to protect their local channel catfish industry and still pangasius fillets find their way in their supermarkets.
In the Philippines, the goal of the aquaculture industry is to first, provide the country with top quality products at affordable prices. Second, to be globally compeitive and tap the export market potential in the US and EU. This can be realized through efficient farming. The use of falthering or substandard products, processes and/or raw materials goes against this very principle.
Regards
October 21st, 2008 at 11:41 am
Bought 2 lovely looking fillets from ASDA today.Pale pinky white flesh, no suspicious smell when raw. It’s just been cooked in butter, garlic and ginger and it looks great, but after reading this lot, I’m ringing ASDA right now to ask where they got it from. The lady who served me said it was farmed in Vietnam and is a cod/haddock alternative. I had never heard of it, and asked if it was indeed a sea fish, but was told ‘No’ I decided to try it anyway, but am worried about giing it to my daughter, so she’s going to have the baked potato we were going to eat it with, and something else! Surely it’s farmed closer to the UK than Vietnam? Will let you all know what ASDA said, and as I write, the oven timer is going off . . . dare I eat some? I don’t know!
October 21st, 2008 at 11:25 pm
I have sold thousands of kilos of this fish since february of this year and never since received any complaints about it. in fact, people have been ordering more since everyone who has tried it, loves it! it seems that most people who have had bad experiences from this fish have purchased from tesco. maybe you should check their sanitary standards. i think it is a storage issue. here in the philippines, everyone loves it! however, sites like these really have a way of scaring gullible people. i have had a number of inquiries about these ill-effects and some who are already thinking twice about it. I wish someone would come out in the news and speak about this wonderful product!
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
my husband eats this fish at least twice a week. He bakes it with butter, salt and pepper. He has never suffered any ill effects from this.I will continue to buy this fish, as he prefers the texture of this fish.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Due to customer demand ASDA now stocks Cobbler, However its not that much cheaper than Cod or Haddock.
October 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Only just seen this article – but have been buying and eating Pangasius in Belgium for last 4 years to no ill effect. It has aways been a standard choice at all the fish stalls in the local markets
October 29th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Apart from all the environmental reasons for not eating either wild or farmed fish, and apart from the possible risks to my health through the eating of contaminated fish, I would not eat this fish again (I tried it once)anyway; it hardly tastes like fish. It is the fish equivalent of battery chickens – tasteless.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I am shocked that people are kind of missing the point here, firstly I am unsuprised that some people have had ill effects from the consumption of this fish as many people will show allergic and sometimes violent reactions from the strangest of food stuffs, mine is (oddly) white chocolate.
Also it is NOT unusual for consumers to develop gastroenteritis of varying severity from eating ANYTHING from a deli-style counter, I have eaten (at the same sitting) scallops and Bream from a Sainsbury’s fish counter and developed mild gastro-intestinal sickness from the scallops but not the bream, this was confirmed by my GP as I was able to provide samples of both.
I am shocked however that people are not up in arms about the HUGE carbon footprint the farming of this food creates, also I’m shocked that people are not outraged that farming of alien species (that is species not native to their country) is allowed to happen in their country, there is a HUGE problem when these “invaders” escape into the local environment and happens ALL the time and is often IMPOSSIBLE to rectify for example (In the UK) Red Signal Crayfish, who have decimated the native species as they are more voracious and agressive (see Charles Darwin’s “Survival of the fittest”).
You DO have a choice, when shopping ASK where the “fresh” food you are about to by has been sourced from, if it’s anywhere outside of your home country, or for those of you in the States, if it takes longer than 4 hours to ship it simply say “No thank you”. Food shipped from overseas as tempting as it may be is NOT “fresh” by any stretch of the imagination and you’d be suprised at the other VERY delicious and CHEAP foods your native land has to offer, for consumers in the UK I beg you to try Tub Gurnard, it’s a fish with a face only a mother could love but it is SO tasty and VERY affordable (I know of a fishmongers in Devon that retail this at £6 per kilo)
I urge you all to buy local and try something new that you never knew existed, ASK your local butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer about local foods, more affordable foods and how to prepare them, you’d be suprised at how happy to help these folks are especially as you’ll be showing an interest in something that they are PASSIONATE about.
I also ask all readers to check out this news article on carbon footprints and how countrys must stop relying on other nations to support their consumption.
http://environment.uk.msn.com/climate-change/article.aspx?cp-documentid=10472974
October 29th, 2008 at 10:27 am
I’m from Romania and indeed this pangasius fish is also very cheep in our supermarkets.it has althought a good taste but it is suspiciously very greasy for a file fish.i wasn’t feeling bad after eating it but…after what I’ve read up on this page….I’ll walk away from this one..an the fish sector.
October 30th, 2008 at 9:06 am
I had panga the last two saturdays 18 and 25 october 2008 served up by my local fish & chip shop violently ill on both occasions admitted to hospital on the 26 october after collapsing early morning due to dehydration, because i had lost so much fluid vomiting & diaorhea.Spent three days in hospital on a drip being rehydrated.
I for one will never touch this fish ever again.
November 1st, 2008 at 1:26 pm
To Richard, I say: “I’d be more worried about you local F&C”.
To most of you, I say: If you feel you can trust the “governmental QC (no, not Queens Council”) on imported food, Eat and be merry! If you however, have any doubt, emigrate!
November 5th, 2008 at 10:21 am
The River Cobbler that anyone has bought from Tesco on this blog is farmed in the UK, and is perfectly safe to eat.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Never assume; also question, scrutinize, and research. Think critically: This photo op of someone literally injecting an individual fish with “something” bad makes an idiot out of anyone who does not think logically. How is it possible that these 500,000 farmed fish raised in just 4 months are injected one at a time, apparently on a guerney or hospital-type stretcher to give the appearance of a medical experiment of some kind-PLEASE! Don’t insult our intelligence with such obvious mental trickery. If this site were legitimate as well as carefully researched, there would be a more objective presentation, or at least a less obvious staging of this superficial “imagery.” We need special classes taught on critical thinking in our educational system, as this skill just doesn’t seem to be naturally intuitive to the masses.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
What a load of unsubstantiated bollocks and scaremongering.
If you are going to make claims such as this I’d prefer to see the scientific studies and results that bear them out than your wild allegations based upon opinion.
I’ve just finished some lovely Tesco cobbler which I poached in milk and butter. It was excellent as it always is thanks.
November 10th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
have just purchased lightly dusted river cobbler from tescos,and the label clearly states its farmed in vietnam
November 13th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
i had this fish for my dinner today i also had it last week and iv been fine i think its just a coinsidense that some people have been sick after eating it, they probably had a tummy bug.
November 13th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
had some tonight with the old man and it was stunning.some of you buggers on here who have nothing better to do except put down the economic values of the uk should move to bloody vietnam!!!
November 14th, 2008 at 9:26 am
I ate his fish and i died!
November 15th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
i’m a dickhead so read further and you will laugh!! Oh no we’re all about to be poisoned by this fish. The free world as we know it will be gone by Christmas!! LMAO really think about what you are saying, anyway got to go cus i am cooking man o war for tea tonight for my family with a little poison ivy and toadstool.
November 16th, 2008 at 4:29 am
I bought this fish friday and ate it yesterday absolutely lovely lightly dusted with herbs and crumbs and no ill effects whatsoever shall definetly buy again
November 17th, 2008 at 7:42 am
they just started selling this fish at Winn/Dixie.
tasty and cheep! better then chicken!
November 18th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I wanted to make it for dinner tonight and i didn’t get it from TESCO. It says it’s imported from Vietnam. I’m worried! Is it ok if i eat it coming from there?
November 21st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
this is freaky. my gf love fish and so do i. the fisheries should be shut down and not have these fishes being abused that way. so cruel and inhumane! all for the dirty money
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
my family has eaten this fish twice now and both times my wife has become very ill and spent hours vomitting about two hours after eating it. I seem to be ok but I am really worried about her as she is 38 weeks pregnant. I think this factor may make her more susceptable to the poisons in this fish. Off to the hospital again – she will probably spend another day on a drip. The first time they told us it was gastroenteritus but could find no sign in the tests they did. My guess is it is some kind of chemical poisoning. Feel like writing “Toxic” on all there pretty packages… Be careful out there!
November 24th, 2008 at 10:10 am
I ate this fish (bought in Tesco) for the first time last night and two or three hours later started to feel really, really ill. I felt extremely nauseous, passed out, came round but couldn’t speak, and finally threw up violently. I eat a lot of fish but have never had a reaction like this. Either that fish was polluted in some way or it is more likely than other similar fish to cause allergies. My friend ate the other fish in the two-pack we bought and was absolutely fine, which makes me think that an allergy is more likely.
To the people above who said “You didn’t cook it properly” etc, etc – don’t be so patronising. My fish was kept properly, cooked properly and I have a food hygiene certificate due to my job. The problem wasn’t me, it was the fish. I will NEVER eat this fish again.
I wish someone would do more research into the number of violent reactions to this because there’s obviously something strange here. I’m still not feeling right today and I honestly thought I might have to call an ambulance last night – and I wouldn’t do that unless I was really ill. I was scared – it was a horrible, horrible feeling.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
i ate this fish yesterday. to my suprise this was the BEST fish i have ever eaten, much to my suprise as i mainly only eat sea food. Now Tesco WOULD NOT sell this fish if indeed it was harmful to eat. Please dont listen to the rubbish spouted on here the fish is fine to eat and by god the best fish ive EVER eaten.At the end of the day the people writing bad comments are probebly animal rights campainers, i think you should worry more about kfc(who boil the birds alive and break their necks) than this fish. JUST TO ADD IM FEALING BETTER THAN EVER AFTER HAVING A GREAT TASTY MEAL.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:46 am
hi. im really confused. But most of the people of the people who contradicted the article seem to have more credible background info.
i’m from the philippines and this entry was passed through email. but in ours, they added dory to the list. i dont really know much about fish cause im just 20 and i don’t buy them..but i do eat them so this concerns me.
its just so confusing because aren’t dories and gray sole different from pangas anyway?
and since the china milk industry is still an issue here, i just really want to be careful.
so, is this entry just really a hoax? these fish are still safe to eat?
November 30th, 2008 at 8:23 am
Have been buying this fish from Tesco for about 6 months now. on a weekly basis.
All I can tell you as a family of 3 , none of us have had any ill effects- However will watch and wait.
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:25 am
Well I bought my River Cobbler from Asda a couple of weeks ago and put it in the freezer. I was going to have it for dinner tonight and was looking for some ideas how to cook it. It didn’t even occur to me to ask where it was sourced from! I think I will give it a go and then not buy it in the future. However, I will question Asda regarding this fish and see what their comments will be.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 am
I bought this fish frozen from a Chinese food store. But it was my ma’s friend that introduced me to it – I love the fish. Hmmm…I haven’t had any problems yet..oh dearrr…maybe it’s going to slowly become more concentrated inside me then explode! In all seriousness – I have some still in my freezer and I can’t afford to just chuck it away
December 10th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
[...] Wanna read all about it? Check this out. [...]
December 11th, 2008 at 11:34 am
EU… france is one of the member nations where importing goods passed thru a very thin and fine line before admitted and accepted for public consumptions. thus the coming of panga fish into the french door must be a mistake coming from the goverment agency controlling the importation of such fish. this i supposed is a handiwork of people who are insecured.. and threatened by the salability and acceptability of the panga fillet thus creating something to destroy the image of the product.. this fish taste good ..for people who eates vegies and fish …try this panga fish and you will not regret it…its good for the body and good for your pocket because its cheap. Happy eating!!!!
December 14th, 2008 at 7:10 am
As we all face never ending complaints about toxic river fish, bird flu chicken, mad cow disease beef, contaminated pork, chemically poisoned vegetable, genetic grains, and bla, bla, bla…. and so on. I suggests it’s better to move away from earth and migrate to another planet if possible.
December 15th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
One question…. if this fish had been highly-priced and hence not do so well in the market… WOULD THERE BE AN ISSUE?
December 17th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Going way back on this blog, I thought bovines were herbivores?
Pangasius is a highly regulated and controlled species, that is subjected to rigorous checks at both the point of farming processing through to the point of sale.
December 19th, 2008 at 7:41 am
I bought some from Tescos last week so they do still stock it. Does any one know if the oilyness has any benefits like containing omega 3?
December 19th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I’ve just had enjoyed cobbler for my tea (for about the 3rd time in the last 3 months), yet here i am 10 minutes later, and despite the warnings i read above i have not yet dropped dead of whatever the poor, brave souls above claim to have suffered.
My Advice to them.
Life.
Get One.
December 27th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
gosh my family always eat this i make a steam fish out of this fish
December 29th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
As many others on this thread ate this fish for first time. Was poached in milk with mash and peas etc. Was curious as to exactly what it was and here I am.. It was tender, nice and flaky in texture and a cheap smoked haddock substitute.
Wouln’t hesitate to buy again.
Well, if it ws bad to eat I’m sure in the year or so since this thread was started it would have been with drawn, I’m sure Tesco’s would not have had it on sale, and I’m here with no adverse affects.
Maybe iI’m wrong but can’t see whats wrong with farming fish as we do cattle, sheep etc..we as humans have farmed for ever..and cheap is good these days, especially for the poorer amongst us who could be eating FAR more unsavory unhealthy and more processed food than this fish…think about them!
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Stop scaremongering you ill-informed retards!!!
January 8th, 2009 at 8:24 am
I find it very difficult to belive this fish would cause such acute cases of Gastroenteritus unless the guts of the fish had been consumed too. The guts and bladder of the fish is where all the nasty bacteria lies and they are removed from the fish before being filleted and packaged.
Conclusion – not-one will get ill from eating a piece of well cooked fillet of ANY fish.
January 8th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Cobbler is ace yummy i love it never been sick all our food now a days is poisioned with some thing. Enjoy!! lap it up while its cheep get it for 58p at tescos on the whoops a daisys counter mmmm yum nice cooked in a microwave for 5 mins then fried in a spoon full of olive oil and lemon juice with chopped freash parsley and black pepper… Served on a bed of Thai Jasmine rice MMMMM..
January 8th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
We have had this a few times. I have had a strange underying pain in my stomach after eating the smoked cobbler. Surely this fish gets through UK stringent tests, but what would give me confidence (or not) is maybe a comment from somebody like Jamie Oliver? or UK top chef??
January 9th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
the fish is very tasty and Im sure foods sold in tesco’s undergoes strict safety regulations. Also public would be informed if any health and safety regulations were not met at a reguied standard.
Ill keep eating it until I see it on the News
January 13th, 2009 at 4:24 am
People who start these protests really need to get out more..! I eat this fish regularly, and will continue to do so.
Think I will start a protest against “Do Gooders” who want us all go back to living on nuts and wild berries and living in eco-friendly grass huts
January 13th, 2009 at 8:31 am
I made a wonderful and cheap dinner for 6 people with this fish and NONE of us had any food poisoning, no stomachache or diahrea. And i bought it from a small local shop, so if what is said here is true we would definitely have some ill effects! Call us lucky or what?
January 13th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I EATING THIS FHIS MORE THEN TEN TIMES .I DONT HAVE NOTHING .END IN ROMINIA IT IS A LITLE BIT EXPENSIV ,LET SEE THE LAST YAR WHY HAVE ;MAD COW , ILL PIG , MAD CIKEN ,SOME THING WITH THE SHIP NAW WHITH THE FISH WHAT THE NEXT ??????? SORRY FOR MI ENGLESE
January 13th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
i’ve never heard such cods wallop (if ya’ll pardon my pun)in all my life. The same people who claim ill health and adverse side effects due to this lovely inexpensive fish really do need to get a life. these are the same people that sat down to their big juicy farmed turkey over christmas, who guzzle copious ammounts of fizzy drinks, who buy bottled water contaminated with residue of the plastic they’re bottled in, who let their kids eat fast food like mc donalds and eat supermarket sausages,white bread, buy chopped shaped chicken products like chicken nuggest…. now come on!!! otherwise you wouldn’t have thought to yourselves oh look cheap fish!!! Don’t take this the wrong way but if you knew what went into your food even ten years ago you’d be at the side of the road eating grass, and even thats polluted with exhaust fumes. my father worked for an animal bi-products company (disposing of dead animals and bones)and my husband was a butcher and the long and short of it is we’re eating crap food all the time but because it has been produced in the uk or great britain we assume it must be ok. Well folks its not… far from it!!The bigger picture has been glossed over!!We’re inporting this fish and paying peanuts for it. Do the maths folks cheap fish-tesco’s profits -packaging -fuel charge -uk re-processing = pretty much nothing for those foreign plant production staff who probably eat it every week too. We all want something for nothing so what do you expect!! I work along side asian nationals who introduced me to this fish over a year ago and man can those guys eat fish!!! they eat many fish nearly every day and we all but it from our local asian food supermarket. I’m a nurse and can hoestly say i’ve never came across anyone admitted to A&E who can pinpoint the exact cause of their sickness unless it has been through a mass outbreak or sole ingestion of an individual meal in one day. I only found this site by chance while trying to find a recipe for smoked river cobbler pie!! go figure i wasted half an hour an still found no recipe lol so the long and short of it is don’t eat meat fish or dairy… in fact no animal products at all or by-products. eat only vegetables from a reputable source…. your own back garden, since the majority of mass production farmers use pesticides or fertalizers and even the ones who don’t still have natural fertalizers from animals dying on their land and rotting into the soil and micro particles carried in the air and the rain.I could go on but I decided to poach my cobbler and have half of it eaten as i type!Planning my funeral as we speak…NOT!!
January 14th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
I bought and ate this fish yesterday. My girlfriend left me exactly one hour after I’d ate it
Do not buy this fish
January 14th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
did you ill people ???? go to the doctor whith with the fish to see what the problem is ////you or the fish ????????
January 15th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I took a chance and bought 4 kilos of pangasius from my local Pakistani supermarket about 3 weeks ago. It was cheap and looked like cod. I must say, I fried the first batch in batter and it was delicious. Myself and three children ate it without any side effects. I steamed the second batch, not so nice this way but still no side effects. I am about to make a fish pie with the rest so fingers crossed. I agree with those who state that most of what we eat is contaminated in some way. Tesco, Sainsburys etc have all been on news reports for selling rotton or substandard meat products. I suggest continue eating the fish but change where you purchase it from. Bare in mind that although you may have great hygiene standards it may be that Tesco’s storage method is allowing the fish to defrost and be refrozen prior to sale. I bought chicken from Morrisons and had diarrhoa afterwards. Does this mean that all chicken is bad and no-one should eat it?
January 18th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
Having mother-in-law over for dinner next week. Any recommended sushi recipes I could try with pangasius? BTW she is filthy rich.
January 19th, 2009 at 10:59 am
this is all bulls**t…there us nothing wrong with this fish
January 19th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
This fish is just a fish!!! why can’t we eat it like other countries that eat absolute rubbish-literally!!! I’m sick of reading crap that just has not been proved. My dad baked me a piece for my lunch today and i have not yet thrown up, ran to the bog or even died…. hallelujah… it’s a miracle………..
January 19th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I have just eaten ‘River Cobbler’ this evening and it was delicious!
I had never heard of this species of fish, so I ‘googled’ it, and the first website in the results list was this one.
It seems pretty obvious that the author of the article is either; trying to gain financially by dissuading people from eating Pangasius, or is a mis-informed idiot! By the way, who is the author? I could not find their name anywhere.
The article is so full of holes it is laughable…
The French documentary: By whom?
The ‘Fish testing’ friend at his lab: Who? Where?
Dehydrated Urine: The author actually stated that the female fish were injected with this.
The author also goes to great lengths to describe the diet of the Pangasius, then two full sentences later wonders what exactly is in their food.
The most amusing statement though, was the ‘Growth at the speed of light’ ‘practically’.
The folk who claim to have been made ill after consuming Pangasius, have either become ill coincidentally, or have become ill as a result of the fish being contaminated by human hand – i.e. poor hygene in handling, or fish that has been incorrectly stored and has ‘gone off’. A couple of people reported a ‘cleaning fluid’ smell from the fish. What they were probably smelling was Ammonia, which is given off when any fish starts to rot..
When you are buying fish – any ‘fresh’ fish, use your nose! If it is truly fresh, It should have little or no smell at all. I know this sounds odd, but if it smells strongly ‘fishy’ then it’s most probably past it’s best!
I bought my ‘River Cobbler’ from a local supermarket, where I also bought a piece of cod. The Cod was £14.67/kg,for a species that we are fishing to extinction, the Pangasius was £6.18/kg for something that is sustainable…
Finally, the internet is a wonderful place, with a wealth of information available for free. However, due to the unregulated nature of the internet, there is nothing to stop people posting anything they like. Take it all with a pinch of salt folks
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:07 am
I just discovered all the negative PR surrounding the Cobbler fish after being curious after buying it at Tesco.
Anyway, I wrote to Tesco asking for some more information on this fish and the conditions which tesco farm them in, just for my own curiosity. Tesco wrote back to me in 24 hours saying that they were investigating my request and would get back to me soon.
Any correspondence from Tesco I will post up here.
I ate the fish, and apart from being bland, it was ok. And no, I wasn’t ill! But I won’t be buying it again.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Here is tesco’s reply: Seems to be a very thorough and thought out response. Make your own conclusions.
*****************************************************
Thank you for your email.
I appreciate your concerns over our sale of the River Cobbler fish.
The Mekong river is not heavily polluted as suggested, the water quality is monitored by the Vietnamese authorities and the results are published. The river cobbler are grown in ponds alongside the river and the water is pumped into settling ponds first to remove any silt.
Fish from every pond is tested before harvest for both microbiological and chemical contaminants and random sampling is carried out by the Vietnamese authorities.
Tesco and their suppliers have audited the farms and we are confident that the river cobbler are of excellent quality and totally safe to eat.
The river cobbler are filleted and frozen in modern factories that are of a very high standard and they use clean drinking quality water to wash the fish during the process. The factories have to meet the same high standards that we require of our UK suppliers and they have been independently audited and approved.
The river cobbler are farmed in the area where they are also caught in the wild. The farming operation provides employment to many thousands of people who would otherwise not have the same quality of work and life. The farms are much more efficient and use much less energy than fishing. The fish are then prepared in local factories providing more local employment and value to the local economy. The local Vietnamese people are highly skilled in hand preparing the fillets and do the work much more efficiently than it would be done in Europe by machine. The working conditions are very good and he rates of pay are higher than the alternative employment in the area. A small proportion of the feed is made from the sustainably managed South American fisheries that ensures the river cobbler have both a sustainable diet and that the feed contains the best quality nutrients including this important Omega 3 rich fish.
Shipping the feed materials and the finish product by sea in large container ships has a relatively low carbon footprint per tonne of finished product. The arguments about where our food is produced and the relative impacts and costs are complex and a responsible retailer has to balance the benefits of farming / processing efficiency, impact from transport, and the benefits for the local economy. We think we have got a good balance with river cobbler and our customers should not be concerned about the environmental costs.
The feed is of very high quality and its production (by large reputable specialist international companies) is heavily regulated and monitored. The diet is made from sustainably harvested vegetables and fish. The process of making cooked and dried fish meal is safe and produces a highly nutritious part of the feed. They never use river cobbler to make river cobbler feed, it is all from sustainably managed fisheries in South America so the analogy with cows is completely incorrect. The feed does not contain any growth promoting hormones or any @dangerous substances’, these are unfounded comments.
River cobbler brows better in the farms simply because it is fed consistently nutritious diets at the optimum feeding rate for growth without waste.
The river cobbler in the farms are not injected hormones so you need not be concerned.
The river cobbler grown in the hatcheries, to produce the eggs needed to stock the farms, are sometimes injected with hormones to stimulate spawning, not growth. This practice is regulated and safe and no hormones are carried over into the eggs.
The river cobbler are safe to eat and free from the bacteria associated with food poisoning. The fish are tested prior to harvest to prove they are free from contamination then the fillets are tested after processing. Tesco suppliers also take random samples and they have proved the fish to be of very good microbiological quality.
The river cobbler in Tesco is selling very well, with most customers becoming regular purchasers and big fans of this high quality, nutritious and easy to prepare fish. River cobbler offers Tesco’s customers a great value alternative to cod and haddock that they can be very confident to enjoy.”
We find all customer feedback incredibly valuable as this helps us when we are looking at ways to make our service better.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact us at customer.service@tesco.co.uk quoting TXXXXXX.
Kind Regards
C*******
Customer Service Manager
Tesco Customer Service
January 27th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Rod,
I go to the local Table Table restaurant in Preston Brook Runcorn. My parents both in there 80s often have the fish and chips, they say the fish is the best they have had for a long time. Last Sunday 25th January, we asked what was the fish. The waitress told us it was Pangasius, so I did a google search. To my horror I came across this site, I can tell you now “my parents will not be have fish and chips there again” At there age you just cannot take the chance, and I will never buy it again…………Paul
Tesco are bound to give favourable answer to protect themselves.
January 27th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Oh! Rod,
Back on to Tesco, there was a program on TV the chickens that Tesco sell, the conditions that these birds are kept in prior to being killed is disgrace So Tesco don’t care they just want to get you in there store and save face by giving these long winded letters of how they make sure this and that is of high standards……….Paul
January 29th, 2009 at 10:20 am
I ate this fish 3 weeks ago and dies. It was not pleasant and i had wish i hadnt ate the stuff!!
If i was alive i wouldnt touch this fish!
January 29th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
[...] Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) By zbolena Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) [...]
January 30th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I think this is scare mongering on a huge scale! The Mekong river has now been classified by the WWF as the river of life and is now closely monitored. And with the EU having the best health and safety records in the world, you honestly think they’d sell the fish over here if they were full of poisons and bacteria? The fish has to be processed and packed in strict HACCP environments, not riverside shantytown workshops the report is leading us to believe. And for those people who have been sick after eating it, my advice is COOK IT PROPERLY! I reckon this report was made by a cod trawlerman.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
ive had this fish in a smoked version many many times and have never ever been ill.
The texture is a bit like tail end of cod i think.
Its great and a lot cheaper.
February 9th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I have not read every single post in this string, but I have been eating this fish at least once a week for six months and never had any adverse effects. It is delicious when cooked thoroughly, and it is very easy to tell when it is cooked through, since it can be cut with a fork or spatula.
There is a lot of hysteria concerning this fish, and much of it has its origins in the self-interest of catfish farmers (especially in the USA), who are really feeling the competition. By generating a hysterical reaction, they hope to scare people away from a perfectly healthy and quite reasonably-priced product.
Steve in France
February 21st, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Can we trust Tesco? Over a year ago, I bought a “pouch” of 2minute rice which after microwaving per packet instructions was found on opening to be full of a noxious smelling slime. Returned it to bigT and had a full report made out, and Customer Service girl nearly threw up when she smelled it. Waited weeks, reminded and was told it had been returned to supplier’s lab for report. Waited more weeks, went back to bigT, saw the manager, found the package in their cold store, got promise of rapid action. Waited weeks, went back, saw manager…etc. Waited weeks, went back and GUESS WHAT? No trace, no record, no sample, NUFFINK! “Lost it” Bloody liars.
BTW, my wife and I just enjoyed Vietnamese River Cobbler from Tesco. Excellent. PROPERLY COOKED and prepared. Still standing and feeling fine…….
February 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Wife and I eat ‘river cobbler’ a lot, still alive and loving it. Hasn’t put us off.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:56 am
[...] acest articol inainte de [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Well, I must admit I wasn’t very impressed with the response I got from Tesco, although it did come in good time! I could pick holes in their reply and raise points all day long, but it wouldn’t help anyone.
I’m a qualified Environmental Scientist (not in this field any more), and all things considered, I will be avoiding this and several other Supermarket products in future…not just Tesco. I suppose that as the end of the day you have to make a life choice on balancing your moral beliefs with you income and nutritional necessities.
I personally would not choose to eat any fish that I’d caught in the Thames – let alone the Mekong Delta. I have travelled the length and breadth of Vietnam and am familiar with the Mekong and all it’s horrific river lining factories and industrial plants. I don’t care how well Tesco think that they monitor, I’ll be avoiding the stuff in future.
Each to their own though…
February 28th, 2009 at 12:48 am
i got curious regarding this fish(pangasious)im a loca resident of manila last week i had a visit on my relatives in our province. a fish vendor approach me, selling this kind of fish (pangasious) im 29 yrs old and this is my first time in mylife seeing those pangas.the fish vendor told me that this was an imported fish but he is not familiar where it come from. just because of his inadequate information i decided not to take the fish but instead i promise to myself to have a reseacrh regarding those pangas. thanks god i was not be able to buy those
February 28th, 2009 at 4:55 am
you people are idiots… me and my family ate this fish since we were born and never had any problems. beside, all imported food is controlled. none of my relatives or friends had any health problem that can be connected to this fish, or eating fish in general. do you eat chicken? cow? pork? well, bad news, all are fed chemically, all are living in a polluted world, all are breathing exhausting gases from cars and factories. pig lives in mud and eating its own shit, eating rats and worms. God! I love pig, it is so tasty… are you eating fruits and vegetables? well bad news, some of them favor cancer and all of them are watered with pee or “fed” with enhancers and chemicals. God! I love my salad! (I love my cigarette too, excellent after some meat – including pangasius fish – with salad… but don’t tell anyone about the cigarette, please!)
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm
[...] Originally Posted by go_slow Thats nothing, I dont even know what a pangasius fish is and I have no interest in googling it. Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) | … [...]
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I live in Solihull and chose the fish off the menu in a local pub that has got a great reputation for fish dishes, the Winged Spur in Ullenhall. The fish tasted fine although a little bland as I chose to have it grilled without any oils or butter. It had a lovely texture and I wouldn’t hesitate to choose it again albeit cooked slightly different. Prawns love to feed at sewage outlets but their system is designed not to pass on any danger. So chill out and enjoy! Pete
March 5th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Just about to have this fish for the first time (could do with a good shit feeling a bit bloated) looks good smells good and is gonna taste good. You people do like a conspiracy theory so leave the fish alone and get your teeth into this.
March 6th, 2009 at 4:27 am
This rubbish is from some Vegan nut who wants people to stop eating fish etc.
Do NOT believe a word of what’s in this blog–its all made up scaremongering. Common folks, think for yourselves!
March 6th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
you people can do things usefull instead of trying to make horror storyes just for fun…
March 7th, 2009 at 7:42 am
Bought some today at Makro (Philippines). Incredibly cheap. 2 kilos for $1.20 only. Had some hesitation why it’s so cheap until I was told by one buyer that it’s popular in Thailand and Singapore as fillet.
My wife and I tried it tonight so far we’re both ok. Let’s see tomorrow…
March 8th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Just had smoked river cobbler (first time) poached in milk and butter with a poached egg, delicious. I am a firm believer in having small quantities of good and bad, to build up the bodies resistance. I don’t believe in sell by dates, as I think we should all be able to tell if food is off, which a lot of people can’t as they just read labels and don’t learn how. I eat yoghurt a month after the sell by date, nothing wrong with it. A lot of the problem is in peoples minds. Use your eyes and noses thats what they are for.
March 8th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Still hear to reply to this site. Had panganis last night at a local restaurant in Bristol. Sister-in-law and myself thoughly enjoyed.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:07 am
I recently bought this fish in Tesco, unawares that there could be any problems with it, and that there was a huge debate going on about it.
My husband and I had it last night, gently fried with a little oil, and I have to say it was lovely. My husband (who doesn’t like fish really), thought it was bland, but enjoyed it due to having no bones.
I have read alot of the posts left here and I have a couple of questions to ask…
If the female fish are injected in these farms, how do they go about doing it? Surely there would be far too many female fish, and how do they know each one had been done?
Not an easy task!! That alone makes me wonder how true some of the stories surrounding this fish are.
That said, will I buy this fish again…
Not sure!!
March 10th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
My wife and I have been eating this fish regularly for the last two years and never felt ill or had any adverse reactions of any kind and will continue to buy it !
March 13th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Just had it for my tea 3 hours ago… not feeling anything yet….
March 14th, 2009 at 2:31 am
That first post made me laugh!
Im 25 and have suffered with servere crohns disease since i was 8, i’ve receantly recoverd from a long relapse slowly regaining my appetite and strength, as a result im starting to cook with diferent foods at the mo i got a thing for fish!
Only 2 weeks into remission i bought a couple of river cobbler fillets from tesco, simply pan fried in abit of olive oil, butter and garlic was very nice and will use in fish pie next i think. Now if this scare was even slightly true i’d be in hospital right now! even though im not a fan of supermarket so-called fresh meat and veg, i do still believe they wouldn’t delibratley risk there reputation with the FSA and secondly the general public.
I think people should take advantage of these underated fish, they taste great are cheap, healthy and help sustain fish like haddock and cod which are becoming more sparce these days.
Personaly i think this article was made with very few true facts by a very bored teenager.
March 16th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I have just eaten a fillet of smoked ‘Vietnamese River Cobbler’ i placed the fillets in a stoneware dish, sprinkled salt and pepper on the fillets, placed goats butter around them, then covered in soya milk, sealed with tin foil and placed in the oven @150c for 25 minutes, served with potato and yam mash, (i made a cheese sauce with the fish juices) it was absolutly delicious!! really, very good indeed:) i was a little aprehensive after reading this article, but decided to persevere regardless:) i will post if im sick tomorrow!!
March 17th, 2009 at 8:18 am
yep all well here
March 18th, 2009 at 6:51 am
I’m in the states and never heard of this fish till I saw it yesterday at a Sams Club which may be similar to TESCO. I googled it to find some recipes and found this. This was the only negative article I could find so I wonder about it’s accuracy, however, after reading it I have no desire to cook the stuff and it is going in the rubbish bin today.
March 19th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
What a complete load of utter drivel. If you seriously believe the nonsense in the first post then go veggie or better still go on the water only diet; that way nothing will get you, but hey what a boring life ! Live a little for goodness sake !
March 20th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Generally I don’t like fish, but tried this in batter last night and thought it was amazing! I will definitely be having it again!
March 20th, 2009 at 8:07 am
my husband bought a case if this fish from his buddy (restaurant owner) on the box it says farm raised-grain fed imported from vietnam. we have been eating it during the lenten season on fridays- we all enjoy it and not one of us has gotten sick- my mom and brother both have eaten too and they have not gotten sick either. we have never gotten a bone in it either. it is rather delicious. this site makes me sick- most people have no clue what garbage they are eating- processed foods lodaded with chemicals. we like this fish and will keep eating it on Fridays.
March 20th, 2009 at 10:38 am
I can’t believe you are saying this about Panga. I have been eating it for over two years and no problems. What you have said to readers is causing something like a panic effect. Maybe these people just can’t cook.
Infact having it yet again tonight.
Why don’t you look into all the other foods sold?? I’ll think you’ll find they are not exactly saintly.
March 24th, 2009 at 9:38 am
I bought this fish in spain as frozen fillets thinking it was just white fish. The smell itself was a bit wierd almost like amonia but i cooked it anyway but as soon as put in my mouth spat it out as it tasted as it smelled.
felt quite sick when i read about it today.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I have eaten here at home several times, no ill effects. also had it in Australia in batter with chips,in Sydney, again with no bad results. For many years we ate self caught fish mainly Codling and Bass in the Thames Estuary in an area were the “Bovril Boats” dumped thier waste from the sewage works at Becontree, still here many years on.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
My husband and I had this fish for dinner tonight the smoked version steamed (delish) at about 6pm,it is now 10pm and we are both fine no problems at all, we looked the fish up on the net as we had never heard of it before and found this site, we were worried to start with but then sense prevailed, we live in the UK for goodness sake i’m sure the food standards agency wouldn’t allow this fish in our shops if it wasn’t fit for human consumption, get real, it souds like those people had an allergic reaction to me.
March 27th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I had River Cobbler from Tesco’s for the first time last week and I am just about getting my appetite back! I would not touch this fish with a barge pole ever again and will be lodging a complaint with Tesco’s. This site should be taken as info and not slated. I can’t stand people who have to be smart arses and say it’s a coincidence that those who got sick after eating Cobbler! Get real will you! How patronising! People will have a fair idea about what causes their sickness. When I ate the fish it tasted of dirt, but had tasted that in fish before, up until eating this fish I had never been sick from eating fish, would not touch seafood. I have a dodgy stomach and have to be careful what food I eat, I never eat out and my food is homecooked by my lovely mom. She is OCD about fish and will wash it out first! I suffered nausea, stomach pains and diarrhea and thankfully I was saved from suffering harsher symptoms, I must point out I didn’t just pick up a stomach bug because I have been recovering from an operation and did not have close human contact due to been off work. Due to having the operation I was taking Bi2muno which is food for the immune system that lives in your gut, the factcthat I was taking this reduced the effects of the bacterial/poison from that fish!
As far as I’m concerned there are people out there susceptible to feeling i’ll after eating this fish and maybe there should be a warning on the pack, personally if this fish is farmed in dirty waters why is it being sold here in the UK. Please don’t back Tesco’s either, because I used to get bleached chicken from them a few years and won’t eat meat now, this meat was supposed to be for pet food not shoved back into the food chain!
March 29th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
this is a really bad thread… i dont know anything about the rearing of this fish but i do kno that in my TESCO store it is the best selling fish. I recommend it as it’s a good quality fish and i have NEVER had a single complaint about it… we sell loads of river cobbler every week all the staff on our deli counters have had it and never had a complaint. The customers come back time and time again and the buy three or four fillets at a time. Our best selling fish. I think a lot of the complaints on this thread are a lot to do with their cooking of the fish although i do know a customer who cooks her cobbler for only 2 minutes either side on the frying pan.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:37 pm
My husband, friends, and I have eaten this fish on at least 5 different occasions, and not ONCE has there been a problem, other than we eat too much, because it is so delicious. I will continue to buy and eat it, as it is also about the least fishy tasting fish I have ever bought. As with Tilapia and Basa, which also used to be very inexpensive when first introduced, the price will probably go up as this fish gains popularity.
April 5th, 2009 at 3:27 am
I have eaten this fish twice and both occasions 3-4 hours later violently vomitted for 5-6 hours. There is now way this was a coincidence. The 1st cobbler was smoked and from Asda. The 2nd Basa was from Morrisons. My husband ate the same but it did not affect him. It obviously just reacts with some people. We shall never be eating this fish again.
April 5th, 2009 at 3:45 am
My wife & I had some cobbler last night it was fantastic. We have had no illness. This is a very tasty cheap fish. I highly recommend it.
April 5th, 2009 at 4:30 am
[...] Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) | Diet… You might also likeCondensed Knowledge – March 29, 2009Condensed Knowledge – March 22, 2009Condensed Knowledge – March 15, 2009 Subscribe. It’s easy and free. « Can the WD TV be networkable with firmware upgrade? [...]
April 6th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
I’ve regularly eaten and enjoyed Panga for the last three years and somehow lived to tell the tale – my apologies to all members of the Paranoid Tendency, the National Food Allergy Association and contestants in the Eurovision Nutritional Intolerance Contest.
Ever thought what else you could do if you didn’t spend most of your sad lives looking for something to worry about…..?
April 6th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I would just like to say that myself and my daughter have been eating river cobbler for months and never felt ill ma by because i buy it and eat it that day i also have frozen the fish and it defrosted and cooked very well with no aftereffect’s and can agree with the aspects of injecting the f email fish with hormones one at a time this sounds ridiculous,probably done the same way as farmed salmon that is why salmon is sold cheaper than haddock these days,the people who fell sick never said weather they eat it the day it was bought or left it for later and as we know all fish unless its frozen that day should be eaten on the day of purchas.
April 8th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Dear all…..Apart from the mostly inane wittering of the many uninformed people in the above emails, does any one have any REAL evidence that this fish is harmful? I would consider the facts presented by a fish or food expert as the best way to furnish myself with the truth. Otherwise, it’s all just supposition and therefore scare mongering, is’nt it? Sincerely….Gary Stuart
April 14th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
I like this fish. Its so delicious. The fish we eat are cultured in an environmentally friendly ponds. It’s just a matter of cooking it right.
April 15th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Just to set a few minds at rest, my family and I have been eating Panga for many years (having lived in France for 6yrs) with no health problems to date and found it to be both delicious, very versatile and extremely easy to cook as it doesn’t fall apart easily so excellent in stir-frys. However I would agree that it is far better to eat local fresh produce when at all possible for all of the already mentioned reasons. Maybe we should be farming it in the UK?
April 15th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
This is a load of BS; French BS at that. There is nothing wrong with this fish and I challange the owners of this website to provide documented, independant and reliable evidence of these outlandish claims or have the guts to take down this article.
They won’t, however, as they are cowards who are only interested in sensationalistic crap that promotes French products!!
Poor!
April 16th, 2009 at 7:04 am
All people here who claimed they been eating the fish for awhile and they healthy and fine, please keep in mind, in time, when some of you will get sick (cancer, hepatite, diabete etc), one of the reason for your desies might be the poison you keept eating from this fish.
April 18th, 2009 at 7:10 am
I personally dont eat fish from the farms especially in countries where the governements did not come to the point to insure food safety regulations. Even if the products are checked by laboratories it doesn’t mean that its safe, simply because not everything is detectable in the lab and also we dont know about a lotof toxic compound how it acts and when their negatif effects can appear.In this case ” safety first” is better to follow.
April 19th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Hola. I live in the States, and I just purchased a frozen bag with this fish. The taste was not bad, in fact, I admitted my husband and I liked the taste. But after eating it we just felt sick: we vomited, we had diarrhea and we did not not why was it. I purchased the bag in Sams club, a chain that is affiliated with WalMart.. thanks for the info…
April 20th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
We had a birthday fish fry! Great–until someone looked up the fish and found this article.
What is one to do?
We know the FDA is nothing more than a bunch of deceitful, lazy bureaucrats who couldn’t care less about their job responsibilities; let alone the American people.
No doubt most are from foreign nations anyway since 2000 with the H1B hiring process where Bill (Gates)TRAITOR proclaim” No can find American workers!” Then Ted TRAITOR Kennedy who has been the USA first priory an-ti et all American followed through with millions of VISAS which stole jobs from Americans–students, graduates: now we have ID THEFT as a routine daily life style.
We are slaves–and most Americans are either in it for themselves or non Americans taking what they can prior to BANKRUPTCY!
GOD BLESS our B E T R A Y E D and B E H E A D E D US TROOPS being systematically sacrificed on foreign soil each generation for OPEN BORDERS USA CRIMINAL ILLEGAL and LEGAL INVADERS…
Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto YOU
One Nation Under GOD
April 20th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
We had a birthday fish fry! Great–until someone looked up the fish and found this article.
What is one to do?
We know the FDA is nothing more than a bunch of deceitful, lazy bureaucrats who couldn’t care less about their job responsibilities; let alone the American people.
No doubt most are from foreign nations anyway since 2000 with the H1B hiring process where Bill (Gates)TRAITOR proclaim” No can find American workers!” Then Ted TRAITOR Kennedy who has been the USA first priory an-ti et all American followed through with millions of VISAS which stole jobs from Americans–students, graduates: now we have ID THEFT as a routine daily life style.
We are slaves–and most Americans are either in it for themselves or non Americans taking what they can prior to BANKRUPTCY!
GOD BLESS our B E T R A Y E D and B E H E A D E D US TROOPS being systematically sacrificed on foreign soil each generation for OPEN BORDERS USA CRIMINAL ILLEGAL and LEGAL INVADERS…
Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto YOU
One Nation Under GOD
PS NONE of the attendee have had any side effects whatsoever. We enjoyed the fish!
April 24th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
lets hope more people find this site and it put them of buying this fish, that will mean nore for the rest of us who enjoy it !
having eaten it weeky for over a year i hope others don’t find out how good it is!
April 24th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
why should this low quality fish be brouht in to this country when there is a sufficant supply of fresh local fish all around the cost of england and do to this low quality fish the majority of fisn landed in suffolk is being transported to holland why is this bye fresh bylocal at a true fish monger dont bye crap
April 27th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
What an absolute load of bollocks!
Cobbler is absolutely gorgeous…..tin foil, butter, salt, pepper and a bit of lemon juice, 20 minutes at 180 Degrees…tastes better than sex (smells the same though!)
April 28th, 2009 at 6:55 am
HAD SOME COBBLERS THE OTHER NIGHT , DIDNT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE SO LOOKED UP TINTER AND FOUND THIS SITE. WHAT A LOAD OF COBBLERS ; LOVELY BIT OF GRUB SMOTHERD IN SALT , VINEGAR AN KETCHUP IT TASTED JUST LIKE FISH WITH SALT, VINEGAR AND KETCHUP ON IT . WILL DEFINITELY BUY AGAIN DESPITE ALL THESE COMMENTS , WILL INVITE INLAWS ROUND JUST IN CASE THOUGH
April 28th, 2009 at 9:55 am
as a fishmonger for 30 years who buys his fish every day from market unlike a supermarket who would find it imposible to do ,,THERE IS FRESH FISH AND THERE IS CRAP ,,but a lot of people dont realise there are proper FISHMONGERS out there who know about there fish ,IF ITS CHEAP THERES SOMETHING WRONG ,I DONT SELL THIS FISH I ONLY SELL QAULITY NOT WHAT I SEE IN A SUPERMARKET
April 28th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Re Tesco Panga. I have visited a site in Kenya that produce french beans for Tesco. I know that Tesco regularly and thoroughly audit their suppliers for Quality Control and hygeine and that their suppliers know that if they do not meet the strict criteria on these terms they lose their contract. Simple as that.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I would treat this article with some suspission. I can not comment on the morality of eating this fish, whether or not people buy local and from sustainable resources is their personal preference, but as a fish nutrition researcher I think I am qualified to comment on the 4th point (about the feeding/accelerated growth).
Firstly the “ground up fish parts” are commonly called fish meal. Fish meal is the premier food for carniverous farmed fish species, in fact its so good it is becoming too expensive and alternative protein sources are being sought but are currently not upto the same standard. The comment about the fish meal coming from Peru is actually a plus point for eating the fish. Currently peru has one of the most sustainable and highest quality fisheries for anchovys and sprats (the dominant ingredient in fish meal). Finally on this point, the non-sensical comparison with mad cow disease is complete and utter rubbish. Fish eat other fish full stop!!!!! The proplem with cows eating other cows (even though I’m pretty sure the problem was cows being fed sheep, but hey lets not be too critical of this drivel) is a problem with one of the amino acids found in meats which herbivors (especially ruminants)should not be fed. Fish is a the only natural source of protein for other carniverous fish.
Finally the first point the author made may possibly have some weight but should probably be of no more concern to any one than eating any other substrate dwelling fish (plaice, sole and turbot) and certainly less of a concern than eating filter feeding molluscs (clams, mussels, oysters etc..)
My genuine and relativly informed opinion of the rest of this article is that if the author knows so little about one area that he/she is happy to make sweeping statements about I doubt the rest is based on solid fact and is in fact a rather obtuse rant.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I saw in a supermarket in Bucharest Pangasius from… ITALY. Was that a lie? Could someone tell me?
May 1st, 2009 at 4:24 am
Not sure what to believe about the safety of it – but I ate some once, not realising what it was -and it was absolutely TASTELESS, and the texture was just like mushy slime – revolting. One mouthful was MORE than enough YUK! I would never buy it or eat it. I really do not know why so many people have described it as “very tasty”. – Well, actually most said they smother it with garlic, herbs, spices lemon etc. I suppose a piece of sponge rubber would be tasty if cooked like that.
May 2nd, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Da’, de mujdei a auzit cineva?
Noi mancam acest peste de peste un an si jumatate, de cel putin 2 ori pe saptamana. Nu am avut probleme de sanatate niciodata, dupa o masa copioasa cu file de pangassius (asa se numeste la noi). Il prajim in ulei de palmier, dupa ce sta cateva minute la fezandat cu mirodenii si vegeta. Il asezonam cu lamaie si mujdei de usturoi si…cu mamaliguta, e minunat. Celor care au scris articolul si mai ales celor care l-au tradus in romaneste, le recomand calduros sa mai studieze putin limba franceza. Filmul spune usor altceva decat ziaristul/ziarista care a scris materialul in limba engleza.
The translation of the movie is different than the comment of the french journalist. You must see it all and learn a little bit more French!
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I wondered why I was getting diarrhea when I ate this fish – now I know!!!
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
We live in Cyprus amd frequemtly see this fish as ‘locally fished’ Yat another lie!
May 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I’am from Buhcarest- Romanaia I have been eatting this fish labeld as pangasius for 2 years now ( about once a month) we are all ok … never had any problems
May 4th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
I eat smoked river cobbler from Tesco all the time and it’s never made me ill.
It is just cheap, bonless (allways a bonus), and highly tasty. (make sure to get the smoked river cobbler rather than the unsmoked though, as the unsmoked doesn’t have as much flavour to it). Then just bake it in the oven for about 10 mins.
I suspect the maker of this site has something to gain from making river cobbler look bad, which is a shame, as it seems lots of people seem to believe them and are thus missing out on something rather tasty.
May 6th, 2009 at 5:03 am
bullshit, How the hell can you get hormones tha is functional from urine?
This is the biggest bullcrap i have ever read.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:18 am
[...] AICI SI AFLATI SINGURI… Tag-uri incluse:bio, despre, Informatii, mancare, Sanatate no [...]
May 6th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
JUST THINK ABOUT IT.
TILAPIA are fed with algae that grew on chicken poohs as fertilizer. Did anyone get sick or die from eating Tilapia?
Farmers grew delicious FUJI APPLES (taste much better than WASHINGTON)in China using human poohs. Did anyone get sick or die from eating them?
joeylee
May 13th, 2009 at 8:47 am
My husband and I have eaten Pangasius frozen fillets from Tesco several times but we have never been sick and thoroughly enjoyed them each time! Perhaps a certain number of people may be allergic to this fish for some reason or other or it all depends which fish farms these fish were originally imported from?….but we certainly have lovely meals out of these fillets. I will certainly continue to buy these fish from Tesco!….. I am sure there are other kinds of food which are more dangerous to our health than these…..
May 13th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
13/05/2009
Im a fishmonger and we sell a huge amount of this beautiful tasting fish and people come back time and time again.
Also have eaten Pangasius/river cobbler and i have lived to tell the tale and was not ill in the slightest.
Had to try it to see what all the fuss was about…
Highly recommended!
If you listen to everything people say you wouldnt do/go / eat anything.
Try it for yourself- you will love it.Im not put off by this.
May 15th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
This was the first wedsite that popped up as I conducted research on a fish I’d never heard of while gobbling down a meal of it purchased from the inhouse cafeteria at work. The owner and cafeteria workers raved about and tasty it is fried! The warnings here gave me slight concern, but as I compose this note my plate is clean and only the container went into the waste basket! If you don’t hear from me further assume I am alive and awaiting my next serving.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:06 am
My husband has eaten this on 2 occasions and been violently ill both times. The first time we put it down to a stomach bug. I didn’t eat it as I am a vegetarian so we could definitely identify the fish as the rogue element. Please be cautious when dealing with this food. It’s obvious that only some people are affected (perhaps it’s an allergy) but in 10 years together I have never seen my husband more ill;. Approach with caution and definitely don’t give to small children would be my advice.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:18 am
why all this fuss
is it because the fish comes from vietnam
should we eat pangasius that comes from the States only
and then it will be a good fish
come on
May 20th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
just bought 2 breaded fillets from tesco in Ireland for the princely sum of 3 euros.
i have no allergy to fish , or anything else for that matter. i am at university , studying food tech.
the 1 thing that strikes me is the cooking temp. 150c is too low . im now going to prepare the dish and will post again in 24hrs
symptoms of food poisoning would not be present until then , however , symptoms of intolerance.i.e allergy would occur alot faster . wish me luck
Billy.
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:16 am
Crappy arguments, conspiracy theory, naive people can’t help believing this stuff. And what about Tesco? Almost all the worried comments make a connection with Tesco. Come on, folks! You can do better than this, you know?
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:53 pm
People need to get a grip. Do you really believe what you read in newspapers and see on TV all the time? Remember they show you what they want to show you to get the best response.
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:05 pm
(poisson d’eau douce/de rivière) THAT MEAN – RIVER FISH – LIVES IN RIVER
poisson frais – FRESH FISH
tout sur le poisson panga – EVERYTHING ABOUT RIVER FISH PANGA
May 31st, 2009 at 11:56 am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
Get a grip you stupid people!
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
[...] Articolul original si poze il gasiti aici: Don’t eat this fish: Pengasius [...]
June 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Hi,
bought and ate loads of this fish from my local supermarket and no adverse effects. A lot of toxins do take a long time and may build up in the system over time….
If anybody does fall ill please raise the alarm.
June 8th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I recently bought a pack of Seamus O’Bean’s Original Unsalted Irish Dairy butter from Trescos. The suspiciously low price led me to investigate. I was shocked to find that the O’Bean cows graze on grass that is heavily contaminated with faeces from an infestation of lumbricus terrestris*. The O’Bean company also discovered, don’t ask me how, that if the cream is laced with sweat harvested from Irish gypsy peasant armpits, churning time is reduced thus contributing to the ridiculously low prices. Be warned, if you buy this product you will be supporting the seedy world of gypsy traficking and exploitation of slave labour.
Not to mention the grave risk to your health! You want proof? I cooked my family some fillets of river cobbler dabbed with nothing other than a knob of O’Bean’s butter and a pinch of salt. Flash fried in a pan for 30 seconds (my family like it rare) it was scrumtious but within 2 hours my whole family was doubled up in agony, vomiting and feverish. I took the butter back to Tresco’s but the incompetent numpty on customer service tried to tell me that all Irish butter strictly adheres to EU regulations on perspiration quotas. Pah!
In future I am sticking to ethically sourced Români Unt butter from the Cro-op. Nuff said.
*earth worms.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Id eatn sum of thiz phish an I got bad guts man the stinck in the looz was way bad for days. Doc sez no way eat that fud again, it is baaaad stuff i tell u. mebbe i unnercook it you know i jus fry for few minuts like jamie sez but cook or not it shoodn’ mayk u ill like you know.
June 8th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I have been enjoying Bassa for well over 5 years and I have had no illness what so ever.
The company I worked for served Bassa 3 times a week to a camp of over 300 men and not once did we recieve and bad comments.
It seems if someone reads something about bad food, the minute they eat it they feel sick, its all mind over matter, if you convince yourself your getting ill from the fish because you read somewhere that you would, your brain is going to make you believe it.
June 13th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
My family has been eating this fish often twice weekly (both standard and smoked) for a long time.
Not ever, on any occasion, has any of us become ill.
It is a lovely fish, and clearly perfectly safe – if it wasn’t, my young children would surely have become ill at least once during all this time.
We will certainly continue to enjoy it and ignore all this ridiculous scaremongering.
June 14th, 2009 at 6:24 am
i stepped on a cobbler today
hurts like hell!!!
June 15th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Me and my hubby just ate River Cobbler for Lunch today, Bought from Tesco! Even worse, i just noticed the use by date was yesterday. Never herd of River Cobbler so i looked it up, I really feel ill at the thought that this fish can be harmful. I am really fussy what meat i eat at the best of times and never buy it from a supermarket. Don’t know why i bought the fish. This has really turned my stomach.
June 16th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Ive eaten this fish regularly with no ill effect…. in all honesty, these people claiming to be ill after eating river cobbler are in my opinion hypocondriacs or want to blame anyone but themselves for them being ill… majority of these claimed illnessed will more likely be attributed to the following
a) sensitive to changing diets
b) undercooking the food
c) using food passed its optimum time of use…. if it smells like fish….the fish has gone bad! fish should not smell at all “fishy”
d) just plain telling porkies to try and substantiate the whole “where theres a blame theres a claim” scenario.
get a grip, if it was unsafe to eat it would have been taken off the shelf ages ago, coupled with the fact that the author hasnt backed up A SINGLE point to his theories… merely making sweeping remarks.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am
River Cobbler was still on sale in Sleaford Tesco yesterday 16th June. When I enquired abouy cooking it I was told to treat it like cod. Then I saw where it came from and how cheap it was and alarm bells rang. What is Tescos doing, for crying out loud, leaving a carbon footprint that big! now I’ve read this report I’m emailing it to everyone I know.
June 17th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Don’t be so ridiculous. If the fishes are so dangerous as it is stated then how is it even possible that they are on the market all over the world.
Please, don’t be so paranoid over everything. The internet isn’t always a reliable source of information. Even though some of it might be true.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
what a load of bullshit! i run a pub kitchen in the west midlands and have had panga fillets on my menu for the last month or so and we’ve shifted a shed load of them (battered) not 1 of our customers has been taken ill from eating this fish and also all of the feedback we’ve received regarding this fish has been positive. dont believe everything you read on t’internet guys!! or just try cooking it properly in the first place u muppets!! cya
June 18th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Ive been eating this from tesco for 2 weeks, its cheap and tasty, no adverse effects have been experienced!
only found this page as I was curious about the fish, wouldnt of thought tesco would sell dodgy fish, interesting read though.
June 18th, 2009 at 8:47 am
heres the proof its ok
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
June 19th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I ate a lot of pangasius fish lately and I’m fine. Some friends have had problems after consuming it mainly because it has a lot of fat – I cut that off before preparing it even if it means losing one quarter or more of the fillet and I never fry it. Do not consume the fish fat or add more fat to it, ask any doctor, to much of that in one meal can make you very nauseous.
June 19th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Your just insecure of the fast sale of this fish.. why dont you mind your own business.. before someone will step on you!
June 20th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Fileul de pangasius ajunge in Europa prin diferiti distribuitori, unul dintre ei este din Italia altul din Olanda…etc. Oricum in UE sunt standarde sanitar-veterinare destul de inalte asa ca cel putin din punct de vedere sanitar este supus unor controale care vizeaza niste parametri fizico-chimici,microbiologici, toxicologici s.a.m.d. care ar scoate in evidenta imediat orice neregula si care ar avea ca rezultat interzicerea imediata(partiala su totala)a acestui produs de pe piata…Pana acum fileul de pangasius face fata cu brio si gusturilor mai rafinate si celor mai simple, iar celor ce prefera somonul si anghila sau dimpotriva parizerul si slanina le urez ,,Pofta buna!” Ceeace trebuie verificat intradevar este prospetimea si conditiile de depozitare-vanzare.Daca faci shopping prin hipermarketuri nu esti scutit de surprize neplacute in privinta prospetimii tuturor produselor.Eu obisnuiesc sa cer relatii angajatilor si daca nu-mi dau raspunsuri lamuritoare mai bine nu cumpar. //(Nu stapanesc engleza, asa ca daca e cineva amabil il rog sa traduca si pentru paranoici macar o idee-rezumat a ceeace am scris. Multumesc!!!)//
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:01 am
Do all of you think that your EU hearth port is stupid?
Do they let these awful fish imported to your country?
They have lab and will inspect any seafood from Vietnam to test
If there is any chemical like mentioned, all will be rejected
You know, VN farmer is poor, and please do not kill them by this way.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Bunch of idots, if this fish is so bad for you i think that it would have been stop long ago.
I think the biggest point is these people should learn to cook food. Most like the same idots that under cook food on the bar b. And blame the shop, or they are cheap wads and by stuff that is near out of date, i have a sister that buys chicken near the sale by or of the odds and sods counter when she is doing a bar b. no one touches the stuff now.
Learn to cook, spend some money, get a life and stop giving out bull that you cannot backup with proof. Sad bunch of people.
June 26th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I ate this fish several times, and felt slightly ill only once. This site may be exaggerating, BUT i saw in several videos how the vietnamese breed this fish in the river MEKONG, which is indeed one of the most polluted on the planet. See this below:
“shipping companies said they would no longer dock at a nearby river port because the pollution was corroding the hulls of their boats ” :O
I’ll tell you what, people in the developed countries care for people’s health, unlike people in the poor countries, which only want to sell their products and make money…
I live in Bulgaria, member of the EU, and guess what… People here dont have absolutely no trust the authorities, which should check the quality food products. Recently we discovered that many of the popular products sold here are dangerous for our health, and there are many artificial foods, which are not natural.
All kinds of CRAP are selled and imported here and then these products can go everywhere in the EU, if they have the right documents. Bulgaria is one of the most corrupted countries in Europe FYI…
So i will no longer eat this fish, because i think that its POISONOUS and many people are making money, selling it on such low price.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR… So my advise to you is -dont risk your health and dont have so much faith in the Quality Control and hygeine authorities in your own countries.
If there’s money in it, everybody will sell you poison, if they profit from it……………..
June 28th, 2009 at 6:27 am
I don’t believe Pangasius grow only in Vietnam
June 28th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I have been eating Cobbler for several months now, smoked and unsmoked, without ill effects. I have also eaten it after buying it after its best before date.
I had just put the smoked fish in the oven for poaching in milk when I remembered to look it up, I then took it out again after reading the article, after reading responses I thought what the hell and put the fish back in. I will not buy it again until I have done more research into it. I had been meaning to look up River Cobbler because I wanted to learn of the origins of it. I am aware of fish contamination, heavy metal etc., and I know that standards are not as high as Europe in Asia etc. (No racist comment just fact, lived a dozen years in Zimbabwe),. I guessed that the waters where the fish is farmed would be polluted but to what degree? Fish can survive appalling levels of pollutants, levels that would kill other creatures quickly.
My main concerns are the farming conditions, the water purity and the fish feed. I would not be too concerned about immediate illness however I am very concerned, should it prove toxic, as to the long term health hazard to humans and pets. Some things can take years to develop so to err on the side of caution is what I would recommend and bombard Tesco, other retailers and the government. With regard to officials passing the fish I would point out that where profit is concrned there can be rampant corruption of poorly paid officials. The money men of the world never have enough…they want more and more.
Green Man
I
June 28th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Just had this fish for evening meal, bought from tesco on friday, had it baked in the oven nothing added. Tasted like shit, either it had gone off or there is definately an after taste that is not fish flavour. No wonder moste of the recipes for this fish are adding strong herb, garlic and chillies it’s to mask the godawful taste of this disgusting fish.
June 29th, 2009 at 5:09 am
The BBC have tested this and found it to have no traceable elements in it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
The tone and content of this whole article smacks of inaccurate exaggeration and scaremongering -DON’T GET ME WRONG, I WILL NEVER BUY THIS FISH because there are serious environmental issues, BUT unlike this article I can persuade others with the TRUTH,
every time bad journalism exaggerates for a good cause, it damages that good cause and makes it harder for the rest of us.
Appalled: right motive, dishonest (or foolishly researched) article.
June 29th, 2009 at 11:46 am
We buy it regularly……..for the dog!!!!!
I’m afraid you get what you pay for in this life.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:07 am
I had this fish grilled with lemon and olive oil and it was super tasty!
Vietnamese rivers are for sure awesome to produce this savory delight!
July 1st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
http://environment.uk.msn.com/wildlife/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=148128186
Just read about the levels of mercury in the same river the river cobbler comes from wich is killing a rare dolphin . mercury attacks nervous systems so i wont be eating any fish from there . please read the link above .
July 4th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
I had a smoked river cobbler for my lunch today and enjoyed it.
I have just had another one while I was reading all the comments about it. I was part way through it when I started reading and thought should I carry on eating or bin it, I ate it all and enjoyed it again.
I will let you know if I become ill by it, which I doubt.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Thank GOD I read comments! I boo this article for being extremely biased, *mis*informative and more emotional than scientific. It’s nothing personal Cate (the author), but with the number of readers that actually bothered to give you proper information about this fish, you *still* maintain your falsities.
I find it quite irresponsible to put out false news and have people starting to boycott this industry. Obviously, you’re not part of the thousands of vietnamese (paid 55euros/month) who’ll suffer from this.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:00 am
[...] Originally Posted by Irish Beast Cobbler is nice Before you eat it again I suggest you read this; http://www.dietmindspirit.org/2008/0…ish-gray-sole/ [...]
July 10th, 2009 at 10:57 am
as a full-time fishmonger for tesco’s in cornwall i didnt think vietnamese cobbler would last more than 3 weeks on our counter, as the local cornish fish we sell will always be fresher than it. however two years on and we sell out of cobbler every day, we still offer the same range of cornish fish as we ever have, and have never made much of an effort to promote cobbler above other fish. but having tasted cobbler when we first started selling it i have always been honest when customers ask about it and tell them that in my opinion it’s a wonderfully tasting fish, and that it is worth trying at least once as an alternative to cod, haddock and r local fish. other than a few people finding it bland i’ve never had anyone complaining about being ill from it, and we sell about 40kilos of it a week. i suggest those that have r using this site as an excuse for poor cooking or to take a pop at tesco. What i always say to people simply is that if u dont like it, or have ‘moral’ issues with it, stick to buying local fish or british fish that most tesco fish counters provide. but there is clearly nothing wrong with this fish
July 13th, 2009 at 6:41 am
I couldn’t help, but laugh at this article. It’s all, more or less, true, but very naive too. As many people have pointed out this fish is no better, or worse, than most of the food you can buy in a supermarket.
Pangasius hypophthalmus has long been a staple food on the Mekong. As with Salmon and Shrimps, demand has long outstripped the natural supply so it’s now farmed intensively in increasingly artificial conditions. There is nothing here that isn’t done to Salmon, Tiger Shrimps (Prawns) and a host of other species farmed for human consumption.
This fish has long been a favourite in the ornamental fish trade (aquarium trade), although God alone knows why – they grow huge, fast and eat anything they can fit in their mouths and soon outgrow anything smaller than a swimming pool. All ideal qualities in a food fish, but not in a pet one. It would be wrong to say that “all catfish are bottom feeders and eat detritus”, they are a very large and diverse group of fish and many have evolved to eat different foods. But, for the record this one is definitely an indiscriminate hoover that mops up anything it can get in it’s very big mouth. It’s pretty much the freshwater equivalent of the Cod which is probably why it tastes similar.
The reason we are now seeing this fish for sale in European supermarkets is quite simple – we’ve fished all our edible native species out of existance (Cod, Plaice, Sole, Bluefin Tuna etc…).
Another freshwater fish we’re seeing a lot more of are various Tilapia species – African Cichlids which actually do quite well grown in ponds in England (climate change helping here?). They are hardier than Trout and better suited to the kind of conditions that make good profits in fishfarming… overcrowding, cheap foods, mass production… all of which are required to grow fish in sufficient quantities to feed our greedy stomachs, but at the same time are grossly cruel and lead to poor quality (polluted) foodstuffs. Anyone who can’t understand this only needs to look at a (healthy) wild fish and a farmed fish to see how deformed and unhealthy intensively farmed fish are.
Hormone injection in fish is nothing new, nor is it considered unacceptable in other farmed animals. The reason urine from pregnant mammals is used is that it’s rich in hormones that induce fish to spawn. This has been understood for a long time. There is this old, old story that fly fishermen that use pubic hairs from a mensurating woman when making flies attract more bites! More scientifically many species of riverine fish respond to a surge of hormones in the water at certain times of year as a trigger to spawn themselves. Fish are sensitive to even the tiniest trace of “pollution” in the water and the spawning of other species (fish or mammalian) seems to be a trigger for many species. Quite possibily the Pagasisus is one of these and won’t spawn without a chemical trigger of this kind. Hormones from humans are presumably used as they are more readily available (and cheaper) than those from other animals.
Fishfarming is a disgusting business akin to battery farming of chickens, or the use of veal crates, but with less ethical controls and added pollution factors. Waste and pollution from fishfarms is destroying large areas of aquatic ecosystems worldwide. You don’t need to go to the Mekong delta to see this, it’s happening right now in your backyard. As a result of this environmental degradation, coupled with sewage dumping, toxic waste, drainage of swamps, damming of rivers etc… wild aquatic organisms are dying out at a horrific rate. As many people have said we are living through a period of mass extinction comparable to the end of the dinosaurs and it’s happening right under our noses, but most people are completely unaware.
For the record I don’t eat any “seafood” or fish, all of it is unsustainable and highly contaminated with heavy metals and other pollutants you really don’t want to be eating.
It makes me laugh that anyone who eats fish caught in the North Sea or the Mediterranean could imagine what they are eating comes from waters any less polluted than the Mekong, lol! Although definitely far more polluted by human activity than is good for it, the Mekong is naturally a very dirty (sediment filled) river, which is why this catfish has such big eyes, hence the name… hypophthalmus. The clarity of water having nothing to do with human pollution! Tragically there are many endemic species of wildlife found in the Mekong and nowhere else that are currently being driven into extinction by human activity. Most people have heard of the beautiful River Dolphins (tragically all the different species of River Dolphin around the world are now extinct/endangered), but there are some species of fish there which are barely known to science, like the Mekong Stingray and the Giant Mekong Catfish (which may be the biggest freshwater fish in the world… if it’s not extinct now).
July 13th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Why not give the fish urine from pregnant mammals, they give it to humans females every day in the form of PREMARIN – pregnant mares urine.
There is NO food now available on this earth that is SAFE anymore – we as a whole have completely polluted our earth in every way possible.
The fact that two or three people can eat the same fish – tells you that the fish is not BAD, but that each person has a different tolerance for the food eaten. If the store you people are referring to has in fact knowingly sold BAD fish then it would follow that they have decided to put themselves out
of business and have used this method to do so. Give me a break.
ALL companies large or small sell items that are not always at their best, that does not mean they are deliberately trying to sell bad goods, stores, packing plants etc, are worked by humans and are all subject to failings, it’s NOT just the rivers of China, Vietnam, etc – it’s the WHOLE earth and the poeple in it. It’s called personal responsibility, and no one wants be responsible for their own failings.
July 14th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Just to confirm….Tesco are still selling cobbler….yuurk!
July 15th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I cooked my Boyfriend and I this fish several times. No adverse affects at all, however I must say that my ring did sting a little more so than normal when he gave me anal later that night to repay me for the meal….go figure!!! and then he threw up on my back, but carried on….
July 16th, 2009 at 6:12 am
What a load of cobblers.
Watchdog have done a lab test of this fish having had a few complaints.
They found no detectable poisons or anything else wrong with the fish.
If you want cheap fish, this fits the bill.
If you want more expensive local fish then eat sea bass or monk fish.
Simple.
Some of the stupid silly arsed comments on here really show how dumb some people are.
To all those people that claim to have gotten ill having eaten cobbler/basa fish… either learn how to cook or improve your own personal hygiene,
ya dirty bastards!!
July 18th, 2009 at 1:26 am
I’m 28. I ate this fish with my family since i was a little child. Nothing happened …
Let see how Vietnamese could export around 1.4 million MT of that fish every year to 107 countries ? That is an evasion … so that must have the attacks from other fishes. Billions people died ? Or billions people less intelligent than the author of this thread ?
If we are smart enough, we could understand the true reason behind this thread.
Mad cow, bird flu, pig flu, and fish … poison ?
River Cobbler is just a fish like other fishes, if you could eat fish you could eat River Cobbler. If you need to import this fish, contact me thonghb@yahoo.fr
July 18th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
just had this fish tonight for the first time. Cooked both haddock and cobbler fried in egg and breadcrumbs. Both my husband and I preferred the cobbler as it was tastier
July 19th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Who started this nonsense about Pangasius and what motive did they have. ? There must be one.
Was introduced to this Battered fish in my company restaurant 3 years ago as an occasional replacement for Cod and other fish, I think it was supplied by Brake’s but it looked very attractive at the counter. The fillets were edible from one end to the other, I never left a piece unlike the Cod which had poor shape and colour.
This fish outclassed the Cod normally served up in the UK.
No Competition ! I ate this Pangasius about 100 times at work and never had any ill effect.
All you people claiming to have had ill effects seem to have cooked it at home, you have probably eaten it from your chippy for years. Come on Learn to cook and understand
food hygiene
July 20th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I’ve eaten fish all my life, what kind of fish is not poisoned by the human environment?
just cook them longer (make sure there still in there “fresh” dates! like milk”
no problem
July 21st, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I bought this fish from asda, recommended by the
fishmonger. Cooked the same day for dinner, poached with no added herbs, I didn’t manage to finish my meal,the smell and taste was digusting. Just come back from 3 days away at a Haven holiday camp with my family. On Friday evening we bought fish and chips from the takeaway, when we opened the paper the smell was overwhelming. My family have never eaten this fish, I knew straightaway that it was river cobbler. The whole evening meal went straight in the bin. A very expensive mistake at £6.50 a go for a family of 4.
July 24th, 2009 at 10:29 am
I am a chef’s wife and am always looking for interesting food but after hearing and reading articles on this fish, it’s from halfway across the world so why is it really this cheap?????? Because it’s dangerous and full of god knows what. I’ll stick to saving my money and buying fish that I know like cod or pollack but won’t eat it like it’s going out of fashion. Always check the labels
July 24th, 2009 at 11:32 am
What a lot of sheep.
The fish has been tested by a lab on behalf of the tv programme watchdog. It had NO detectable levels of ANY toxins.
If there had been the slightest trace watchdog would have pounced on it as it’s their style.
The same cannot be said of salmon or tuna.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Its ridiculous and false stuff. Its just blaming that fish. When I went to Vietnam, the nature gifted place so many French people working as consultants and also as technocrats. Vietnamese pangasius also over come all types of negative publicity from west. their fighting spirit is very high. My friends will beat all hurdles.
Gangadhar
India
July 27th, 2009 at 9:05 am
TheThey have these fish in the rivers of Bangkok also. Thais wont eat these fish. They say they are not good. I suppose that is due to the fact that the rivers in Thailand are heavily poluted as well. Some of my friends and myself are considering setting up fish farms here in Thailand to breed these fish, They should be ok if bred in non poluted water. To be honest I think this is the wrong course of action by shipping these fish from the east to Europe. What you have is due to overzealous fishermen in Europe decimating the fish stock there, they are now turning to other areas of the worl, and what will the result of that action? Of course, stocks decimated there. There is also the polution and global warming effects from the shipping required to transport these fish. Surely the correct policy here should be a complete ban on All fishing around Europe for at least five years to allow stock to rebuild. That should then be followed by strick control opf catch which maintains a sustainable level of stock.
July 28th, 2009 at 8:49 am
hi
just had cobbler for breakfast,very bland
got it from tesco,wont buy it again,abit concerned about all the comments made.
not been sick as yet,(hope i will be ok)
thanks for all the info, will throw out the other fillet, do chip shops use this fish?
thanks
July 29th, 2009 at 11:34 am
We have conflickting reports regarding these fish, some for and some against. Have any of you given it a thought how some can say they are delicious and some sy they are horible? When you think about it the answer is quite simple and it is nothing to do with the ignorance of weasel who states that people should learn to cook. One time in the UK i bought eggs which smelled realy putrid and were inedible, they smelled strongly of fish, obviously due to the chickens being fed scraps of fish. Another time when on holiday in spain we had bacon which smelled strong of fish, it was putrid, again the result of the pigs being fed fish scraps. The same goes for these fish, it all depends on the supplier and what diet they are fed.
July 31st, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Don’t know whether they’re harmful or not, but I had bought for cats and had to bin as the fillets smelled like polluted water – and I thought this before even reading this site. I’m from Glasgow and the smell reminded me (and my husband) of the Clyde on a warm day – yuck!!!
August 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 am
[...] are meeting the incoming catfish with anything from light skepticism to blaring sirens and biohazard-level health alerts. Catfish [...]
August 4th, 2009 at 7:02 am
It’s amazing how ‘Daily Mail’ people get about sensationalist journalism – the world is not ending tomorrow, Princess Diana died over 10 years ago, Big Brother isn’t to blame for the world’s ills, and these fish won’t kill off the Tesco consumer base.
Yes, some sources of seafood are undoubtably contaminated – the world is a be a big place and there’s a fair few ml of water around – BUT, to generalise an entire species of fish based upon one report from one river is simply a form of adverse propaganda. And getting ill from eating fish? That’s hardly a new concept; but when there’s a story like this to tag onto, it’s 2+2=5 all the way.
Of course, raise the ‘concerns’ that this documentary highlighted from this incident, but present it subjectively. And for those reading this story, don’t bolt from the paddock and scream in the ears of the local Tesco fish counter staff – do your own research first. Vietnam is not the only place that raise the ol’ cobblers!
A link that may allay some fears; http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html . Of course, I’m no three-eyed fish expert, and can make no guarantee on cross-market safety, but I do believe people need to take a little more haste when stepping up to the bandwagon.
The old adage still applies; Question everything… especially when it’s TV journalism after a story!
August 7th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
This is all BS. I eat this fish all the time with no problems – they even sell it at the ubiquitous Costco stores worldwide. This was nothing more than a smear campaign specifically designed by fishing establishments to prevent this fish from taking their business away. There are many references to this on the web.
August 8th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
I do not mean to go against you but I believe that your info is not that 100 percent reliable. You should have cited some sources of your info why are you telling that so. It seems like some of your points are just opinions and are not based on scientific studies.
And if they are importing that to you country France… most probably they have quality control measures.. unless if the fih is smuggled…
August 9th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Panga is off the shopping list!
August 10th, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Oh please, this is all so utterly ridiculous! Farmed fish are perfectly sustainable, anyone stating otherwise doesn’t understand what the concept stands for. And as for it being less than perfect meat, well let me break some news here: nothing we eat is perfect.
We are the byproduct of ‘unhealthy’ food and still we get to live much longer than people did 200 years ago well my I’d say! Guess such ‘healthy local sustainable’ food as the one those folks used to eat back then wasn’t that good after all.
Please eat your fish without any fear or guilt – it’s better for you than chicken for sure.
August 11th, 2009 at 11:38 am
I am about to have this fish for dinner tonite. If I don’t write again tomorrow to give you guys feedback, consider me dead!
August 12th, 2009 at 5:14 am
Well, I had the Pangasius for dinner as promised. It was delicious. I had the biggest portion (2 fillets). I woke up very normal and I will have it again this evening!
Enjoy Pangasius fish everybody, don’t listen to these conspiracy theorists
August 16th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I think it is very unfair to generalize that all panga fish if farmed in that same river. vietman has lots of remote rivers and ponds.
it is also farmed in thailand and Philippines. from what i can tell you, exports from the philippines are much safer coz its farmed in ponds near the seas and change the water after harvest. they dont have these big rivers like in india or vietnam. we eat it regularly.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:31 am
A lot of truth as well as a lot of ehagerated bull shit in this article. Nothing more than the usual average journalist’s work ensuring his income…
EU/US have regulations and procedures to check what arrives on the market. Meat, fish, whatever.
It is the importer/buyer that usually screws up while the exporter/seller takes advantage of it. Greedy buyers go for the cheapest (but still retail at full price) and get caught because you can’t get full quality for less than what it costs. Even if the buyer found out the quality is no match, they will still try to get it in, unless he will get sacked because the order did not arrive as the plan.
Of course, it is always easier and more the flavor of the day to accuse Asia.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:35 am
Have started doing my own research and come across this article from Australia.
http://www.rawfish.com.au/basa-story/
August 27th, 2009 at 5:45 am
Further to my previous post, I looked up who are The Seafood Importer Association of Australia – on their website. Whilst at their website I also found an information page on Basa.
http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/news.item.php?pid=62
And if you are wondering, I do not have anything to do with the the Association or the fishing industry.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:09 am
Here’s another link to some information I found.
http://www.richardsbrothersseafoods.com.au/basa_farming.htm
Interestingly, this webpage is promoting the fish and yet it qoutes the fish “is happy eating a wide range of food and is often raised on manures or waste feedstuffs” and the fish “much prefer dank, murky, organic conditions”.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:26 am
hello, i am from africa and i have eaten this fish many times and so far there has been no problem at ALL. some european fisherman or a fish distributor or a mega seafood company who is really really REALLY getting screwed up with all their expensive fish, aginst the cheap products of vietnam.
we encourage all people who have eaten the fish, to continue, and those who have not, to try it for themselves…
thank you.
August 27th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I am eating some River Cobbler now for the first time. It’s delicious, it has a wonderful texture unlike any other white fish I usually eat.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:33 am
I have been watching the link you posted, just to see if they are really saying something bad about it but there was no where any huge problem in the documentary. As any fishing production or any industrial production you always have to check where your product come from and what is it in it. The pangasuis present nothing specialy alarming compare to other products ( fish, meat, milk, bread or whatever you may eat) so I really do not see why scaring people with your talk and puting picture that were not all responding to anything bad in the documentary. If you do not understand french then just say you did not understood everything on the documentary but here they show small fishing farming and big one and they try to show how they cultivate the fish in order to sell it in western countries. And for the small farm, the men was injecting harmones ( female hormones precisely, women while pregnant or during their periods, produce hormones for fertilize some kind of urine…) anyway it is natural, and they inject the same kind of thing to the female fish inorder to have her become fertile and so got eggs to get fish.
August 29th, 2009 at 7:37 am
I live in Vietnam since 5 year ago.O eat and ii ate this fish in fillets frequently . i saw the farmers in mekong provice. 80% of exportation are to EUA.Never happen notthing with my health because of this fish and all the sanitary inspections and analyses detected poison. The afctories are working with all certificates of quality issued by EUA and EU. I don t belive and nobody must belive that if this fish have so many quatity of poison can be accept by sanitary authorities is counties of EU and EUA. I will keep going to eat frequently !
August 29th, 2009 at 9:28 am
im into fishing for sport and eating the fish after, well i seen this fish for sale in tescos and thought it looked a bit like cod, and the price was so low i bought it, because i know alot about fish i thought it was strange that id never heard of the river cobblers so i looked it up. and this is what i find out. i knew there was somthing not quiet right with them, becuse they where very nice eaten fish and yet they where so cheap. typical of tescos not telling anyone where they come from and how they are framed. i read everything on the package and couldnt find ay info on where they are from and how they are rised. im not shopping in tescos anymore.
August 31st, 2009 at 9:12 am
I have purchased this type of fish from Tesco on many occasions in the last twelve months and have always found it cheap and delicious, I have never been ill as a result of eating it. I think that there is a bit of silliness going on here.
September 1st, 2009 at 3:22 am
[...] I immediately found these two pages. Buying Fish in France – A Warning & Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 11:39 am
having been eating this fish for several months with no problems. in fact find it fantastic cooked in oven with a sprea of red onions and creme fraiche for 20 minutes. I live in holland and this is being sold by the best supermarket chain here as part of a fish “sustainability” campaign. They also work in with WWF and Marine Council and is clearly labelled that is from vietnam. I find this article scare mongering. I have travelled extensivly in Asia and although I understand the concerns of water quality this could not be imported without stringent testing.
September 1st, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I WAS JUST SURFING TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS FISH.AFTER VIEWING THE VIDEO ON THIS SIGHT I WILL NOT BE EATING OR BUYING ANY OF THESE FISH.CHEMICALS ARE EVIDENTLY PART OF THE RIVERS IN VIETNEMESE REGION,TESCO SHOULD SOURCE PRODUCTS MORE CAREFULY. MY ADVICE WOULD BE STAY AWAY FROM THE COBBLER OR FACE THE WORST
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
[...] "white fish" or sold incorrectly as haddock/cod etc in countries like france and the UK? Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) | … – Scary Stuff…. probably scaremongering but better safe than sorry… Anyways, welcome to [...]
September 6th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Do you really think that this fish could slip through the EEC inspectors, bearing in mind the amount being sold throught Europe?
Just about every fish in the oceans, lakes & rivers eats other dead fish – lobsters & prawns eat the faeces of other fish (one reason why Jewih people won’t eat them).
September 7th, 2009 at 2:14 am
this article is just saying about the fish coming from vietnam. but alot of this fish is being cultured in commercial fisheries in enclosed ponds and fisheries. so you cannot generalize that all these fish are bad for you. just make sure to ask where the fish comes from.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Hello,i’m from romania and i’ve been eating pangasius daily since a month or two ago and everything has been ok.I’ve replaced tuna from my daily diet with pangasius and i’m eating about 500-750 g per day and i had no ill effects.This article is more suspicious than the methods used in cultivating this type of fish.
September 8th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Well, lets correct a few things.
1. Not all fish are carnivores and for those that naturally would consume a plant-based diet then feeding them any type of animal protein, (fish-based or otherwise), would appear to be unnatural. The wise can draw their own conclusions from this and the atypical stance of politicians such as John Gummer and the beefburger fiasco before BSE.
2. In an ideal, organically and properly controlled reed-bed type filtration system, it is easy to raise fish that are clean and free from disease and chemicals. However it must be increasingly difficult if not impossible to produce anything in this world that is now free from some degree of chemical, be it pesticide, herbicide etc. It seems ludicrous to me that this island that once was largely self sufficient is now wasting oil, a finite resource, to ship a fish that should be feeding the hungry peoples in underdeveloped countries in a closer geographic region. We have overconsumed our own resources and are now using another country to maintain our need for cheap food. Yes we need to mass produce food to feed our global population but there are better ways to feed ourselves than this.I am not convinced by the supposed response from Tesco since money has ruled this planet for so long, inevitably someone somewhere will eventually be taking shortcuts.
3. Whilst many who have eaten this fish are free from any side-effects, I would assert that it does not mean that those who have been affected are wrong. It may be that those so affected have either;
a) a low threshold of tolerance for chemicals that may be in the fish, even if these are below what our government state are acceptable.
b) have bought fish from particular shipments that unfortunately have not been subjected to the rigorously thorough testing that Tesco would wish or perhaps require.
c) have actually eaten fish that are polluted.
c) or as stated by others, somewhere along the transportation process, there has been lax hygiene, freezing/thawing or infiltration with contaminated water which may have caused the illness problems. So this may or may not be due to chemical contamination but bacterial issues. I am no experienced cook but I am aware that ‘good’ fish can be eaten raw (eg sushi) so I doubt realistically that poor cooking is really an issue. Due to the length of the journey there is the potential for mistakes to occur.
4. Whilst the initial ‘whistle-blower’ may have not been in possession of all the facts, reading responses from several contributors, I can see that some believe that this fish is raised in this country whilst the truth is that this is not the case. So isn’t it easy for us all to get it wrong ?
5. You all have a choice. I think personally that Tesco are now to large an organisation to trust. I don’t like pigs fed on fishmeal, so I eat less bacon but ask for better quality where I want better standards of husbandry and natural feedstuffs. I keep 5 hens and they feed my family of 4 and I know what they have eaten, including the maligned Lumbricus terrestris et al, which is entirely natural. I accept the criticism that not everyone can keep chickens but we do all have choices. As Hugh, (glory-hunting) Fearnley-,Whittingstall demonstrated, with battery chickens that we can improve things but only if we can be bothered to get off our lardy arses and do something. People can do things collectively, if not individually. As so many demonstrate by their comments they just want cheap food. So bring on the ‘soma’ of Aldous Huxleys Brave New World and the concomitant results for people who can’t be bothered to care.
Try reading about ‘trans-fats’ that Denmark has banned but despite being a member of the much-hallowed EU and all its rules and testing, we are all still eating them in quantities that research will show is harmful to us.
Regards,
One famous nuclear scientist argued that it was the smaller amounts of those chemicals that were potentially more dangerous.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
[...] To be honest I would look into it a bit more – try these 2 sites for info on it; http://www.dietmindspirit.org/2008/0…ish-gray-sole/ [...]
September 12th, 2009 at 1:52 am
I have poached and eaten two smoked river cobbler fillets from tesco 2 nights ago. Woke up in the morning with lower abdomen cramps and temperature high last night now had cramps for over 36 hrs i am going down to A and E Hospital in short while. I was just looking up info on the fish I have eaten and found this site. So A warning from me to you. Frank.
September 13th, 2009 at 6:44 am
The process used to farm these river cobbler fish is absolutely appalling. What a lot of people who buy into what this blogger is saying don’t realise is that the whole meat industry is just as bad (if not worse). Boycott this fish all you want but as long as you’re still eating burgers/sausage rolls/low grade chicken etc your still supporting this industry and still getting plenty of delicious hormones and heavy metals!
September 15th, 2009 at 2:58 am
ooooo my god is that true or just a story to make the panga business in Vietnam go bankruptcy. I’m feeding my baby this fish from her age 6month till now 16 month she look great healthy and she can swim at the age of 16month. If this is true i should stop this.
Siti(Singapore)
September 16th, 2009 at 5:19 am
Føj for fanden, hvor er det ulækkert………
September 16th, 2009 at 9:33 am
yEAP… We work to some Cruize lines Owners, and they ussually serves It at the MSC ships, ath eh Cruise sessions at Brasil , an d all over the world it is eated… in my home, we take some pieces for sample and looks like the Cod fillets…nobody was sick, by many lucky… frozen for much time, I mind…
September 17th, 2009 at 8:45 am
What an absolute load of codswallop. I am eating my third piece right now and everythd,dg, _lajds nc, HEELLLLPPPPPPPPPP
September 20th, 2009 at 11:07 am
I have a seafood restaurant in the U.S. on the east coast. I have served this fish since february, 10′s of thousands of pounds, and eat it myself 3-4 times a week. I have never had or had complaint of illness after ingestion. I would like to reiterate that is fish is farm raised and not only on the Mekong river, there are clean water sources that this fish is raised in as well. 10 years ago, when this fish was “discovered” the farming techniques were questionable, however, today the food industry has come a long way in production, processing, and inspection procedures. I think it is a great fish that is a smart sustainable choice for the food industry.
September 21st, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Just discovered river cobbler at Tesco and cooked it tonight with lemon and butter in the oven. It’s truly delicious! Well done, Vietnam!
September 24th, 2009 at 10:10 am
I think your information is flawed.
http://ourbelovedearth.blogspot.com/2009/03/death-of-fish-sticks-pangasius.html
September 25th, 2009 at 2:47 am
Hi all,
I suspect the author conclusion about Pangasius. First of all, Pangasius (panga) is very popular in the world and hundreds of millions of people eat panga everyday. I and my family eat Panga weekly and we love its taste. How can a contaminated fish can pass through Vietnam seafood inspection, importers inspection and extremely strict requirements of EU? How can they enter the US market and make American fisheries life miserable if Panga is a poison fish? The author’s statement doesn’t make any sense.
For those who got health problem after eating Panga, please check the other dishes you ate before saying that Panga make you sick.
The author also showed that Mekong River is one of the most polluted rivers in the world, please google to find the answer, and of course, you will not see Mekong in the list of most polluted rivers in the world.
Admittedly, there are some bad factories produce low quality Panga. However, with tight competition in international market, those firms are almost closed. If you are concern about environment, please go to . You will see a project to produce bio-energy from by-products of Pangasius.
Panga also eat lots of soya beans, mainly import from USA and Canada. Please go to .
In short, Panga is delicious. They are fed in a good river, with well-chosen food. Please don’t worry about Pangasius quality any more.
Thanks for your reading,
September 26th, 2009 at 11:26 am
This article is a typical example of how the internet can be manipulated to spread any sort of disinformation and pass it off as fact. Only the feeble minded would believe this crap.
September 29th, 2009 at 8:55 am
This is totally bullshit.. we use pangasius or cream dory fillet as one of our famous recipe here in my resto. People are all like frogs shouting.. “we want the panga fillets” and I never heard problems from them. Now your gonna say that their stomachs are immune? No just because your a fucking ignorant. And oh I’m from Asia. Don’t believe in this loser article. Too bad he didn’t put adsense on it.
October 2nd, 2009 at 11:46 am
What an ignorant website
October 7th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Hi all,
Had river cobbler last night to try it not impressed, tasted fusty, wouldn’t buy it again. Didn’t know what it was so googled it and found this site. All i can say is don’t knock it til you try it,its all a matter of taste !
October 9th, 2009 at 1:15 am
I have never heard such a load of rubbish for a long time. I can imagine the massive class action lawsuit that would ensue against supermarkets if it was found that they were selling poisonous fish. This is just another attempt by local fisherman’s associations to get this much, much cheaper product off the supermarket shelves. Bah, humbug.
October 10th, 2009 at 5:05 am
Thanks for your insane website. I recommend medication! I’m sorry to hear that the fish I’ve been eating for the last 3 years causes vomiting and cancer – do I have to wait much longer until I have these symptoms? Glad to hear you have a friend who works in food testing – it’s nice to have friends, you can talk to them about your problems and maybe they can get you help.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
My husband and I have been eating and enjoying this wonderful (best tasting fish I ever ate) for about 8 months ago when we found it in our Sam’s Club freezer section. They have not had it for about for 3 months and we are upset. We don’t know what other stores sell it and if someone would let us know where we can purchase it, it would be deeply appreciated. We have not heard of Tesco. We are from the northwest.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:59 am
i had some it was delicious ate it all up i recommend you buy some and try it you only live once
October 13th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
This is a fine fish , i cant understand how some people can be so thick. come on people.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I have eaten loads of this fish before I read this with no short term effects, as for the long term effects I’m hoping to turn into a super hero(as a result of my high toxicity), a toxic avenger maybe or ninja mutant basa. Then I could do battle with the evil nazi tescos and neck the odd pie whilst i’m in there. We love the basa wiv spuds and baked beans. Now Im to scared to buy this fish which is a shame as they make me shout YUM in aloud voice.
October 17th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Some reports from some research centers of Spain/Italy:
In the middle of the pages you will find that there are no toxics reported from this fish.
http://www.eurofish.dk/dynamiskSub.php4?id=3735
http://www.vinaseafood.com.vn/news_details.php?cid=1&nid=356
October 20th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Haha, this is hilarious. I found this site because I googled the fish name, BECAUSE my mate and I just served the tesco fish fillets to our 4 little boys and we all agreed they were really delicious.
I’ll let you know tomorrow if we’re sick, but so far, so tasty!!
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
Went to Brewers Fayre yesterday and had the Freshly Battered Fish and chips( I thought it was Haddock ).
After trying the fish and asking my wife to taste it, I realised this was no Haddock and asked the waitress what it was, she replied a Vietnamese Fish called Pangus. Although I have not been unwell as yet althought it is still early I will certainly not be buying this tasteless, strange textured fish again.
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
We live in Spain and eat Panga reguarly with no ill effects. It is the only fish my husband will eat as it never has any bones!, and it tasty.
October 25th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I bought this fish as they were on sale in the reduced pile of my local Asda store and although I had never tried River Cobbler before, at £1.70 for 2 nice pieces I thought I’d give it a try as I like fish.
It resulted in me having one of the most violent bouts of diarhea that I have ever had, and lasted a long time. In fact 3 weeks on and my stomach still doesn’t feel right.
I had no idea of other people having had problems with eating this fish until I looked online into this and found the item on Watchdog about the numerous complaints about people going sick from eating these fish.
OK, they may have tried to analise the fish for toxins and may have found none in their particular sample, however I do not believe that the large numbers of people who have suffered the severe effects and made complaints to the programme, enough for them to ‘investigate’ it, can be wrong !!!
October 28th, 2009 at 10:58 am
I’ve eaten this fish, bought from stores large and small here in the Czech Republic, and suffered no ill effects. This doesn’t mean it is safe – any more than problems among some consumers indicate a widespread problem. Obviously, there are many points along the chain, from the ponds to the dinner table, where things can go wrong. It’s good that the possibility of a problem has been identified: now let’s get some hard data. Health officials, not stores, should be contacted.
October 30th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Wife already bought it from Morrison’s so looked up a recipe for smoked fish. After reading comments decided to try it anyway – keeping an open mind. Cooked simply in butter for about 6 minutes each side with stir fried veg and thai sauce, looked and tasted ok. Had dinner about 8.00 pm. Next day, at about 11.30am, felt absolutely terrible with stomach cramps, diarrhoea and dizziness. Never had such a delayed reaction to eating anything before and I do not have a weak stomach. Shall not recommend this to anyone. In the end I suppose you get what you pay for. I did check the label from the fish counter – farmed in Vietnam, cheers lads!.
November 1st, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Kakaballs! Zenophobia at its ugliest. Remember the hooey about coconut oil having high cholesterol content? However, I enjoyed the thread: the human parade a la Canterbury Tales.
New item on the menu: Fresh crap with brown sauce.
November 4th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Seven months on from my first posting, I’m still enjoying Panga regularly and waiting for the ill effects – you never get a money-back guarantee from whinging scaremongers, do you? If it doesn’t kick in soon, I’m gonna have to put 4 tonnes of Andrex on eBay.
Sounds as if a lot of people are just as disappointed; they don’t appreciate the dangers of enjoying yourself when, with a little more caution, you could be downright miserable till you’re a hundred and eighteen!
Maybe the Precious Ones will soon have a good gloat as they scrawl ‘Told you so’ on my headstone.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
peixe gato do mekong……nova aberraçao da globalizaçao?
November 4th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
surimi….idem?
November 5th, 2009 at 4:19 am
This article is a pile of horse shite….propaganda from a pissed of seller of other fish who can’tcompete with cheaper imports is all. This fish is delicious, I have been eating it the last 2 years in soups and tacos. It is not Chilean Sea Bass for certain but at the cost it is a great source of protien, it is VERY SUSTAINABLE, grows fast, and in Vietnam they have been farming this fish for hundreds of years.
I am here n Vietnam right nopw and toured a fish processing facility. FDA registered, highly laborious process to keep facilities clean and the finished product is very high quality. The world will be eatimng a lot more of this fish….a competitive alternative to Tilapia.
If you have a bad experience on this fish it is the RETAILER MISHANDLING THE PRODUCT – OR – THE RETAILER BUYING FROM AN UNKNOWN UNCERTIFIED SUPPLIER!!!!
November 5th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Ihave been eating this fish from tesco,for a year.once a week, then 3 months ago decided 2 a lot mre in,as I wanted to eat healthier having it,nearly 5 times a week,I was very very ill with food poisoning,never thinking,it was the fish,it happened again,2 weeks later,since reading this article I think,I have had a lucky break and I will be calling tesco to complain,to put lives at risk,when there is enough dangers around already,is beyond belief,I know it was the fish as only I had it,and I thought i was dying,even if there is a small risk it should not be sold,how can these things keep happening,
November 6th, 2009 at 5:54 am
[...] one (of course you’re not entirely free from contaminants unless you go organic, but still!). Why do you think your restaurants sell such cheap fish? And what they claim to be tuna sashimi probably isn’t, [...]
November 10th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Having looked up this fish, and stumbling over this site, to learn more about what my family and I are eating, I was amazed to see so many adverse comments presented as fact and reason for not buying this fish.
Whilst I do not doubt the validity of the illness claims, the issue is over a sustainable food source to meet consumer needs. I greatly believe in the EU and its regulations. fish like this are needed to enable us to continue to eat fish products. I would not be surprised to find it in many commercial products as well as high street chip shops.
Unless proof is presented that this fish is poisonous, I will continue to cook and eat it. And there is the point. I choose this fish as others can, and have stated, choose not to buy it.
As well as meeting our needs as consumers, this fish represents employment for a regulated industry and the country that produces it. We are buying it. We are the reason it is on sale. So, we are responsible for whatever happens as a consequence of providing the neccessary market for this product. Chicken is another example of Asia producing a lot of what we eat, most times, unknowingly. However, it is easy to complain about something that one does not like, after learning about its origins. It is a wholley different case to deal with a perceived problem and present an alternative.
A point raised earlier was that this fish has a large carbon footprint. Well, as a consumer, I know I am responsible for a lot of these emmissions by purchasing clothes clearly indicating their Asian origin. I use gadgets that can only come from the East and I drive vehicles whose components were sourced from all over the world. We are the reason for the carbon issues. I do not see third world nations devouring what we do in consumables, but we are happy that they make them for us, and we know exactly how much in wages they are paid and in what conditions they live and work.
I acknowledge my responsibility in providing a market for this cheap fish. I will continue to eat it and am happy to have found a fish that replaces the once common but now expensive alternatives. I think that this fish represents the only currently viable solution to our fish needs and can, myself, suggest no other practical way at this time. However, I do dream that one day we might have a truly International Union, supporting each other and working in harmony. But we first need world peace and with only one Miss World to fight for it, are a long way off yet.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Panga = KK?
November 18th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I ate this fish sometime, good for me, no bad effect.
After all, I think the only reason why you got bad time ill with this fish is… you are allergic to this fish. Not everybody gets ill after eat it, that’s the truth. My brother eats shrimp and gets ill effect sometime.
If you take the bad effect after eat this fish, it’s just not a kind of fish for you, doesn’t mean it’s toxic or something like that.
Do you want to know why it was cheap? Because Vietnamese farmers are poorer than the farmers in UK. Everything is sold cheaper in Vietnam, fish’s food can be homemade, etc…
November 19th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Yeha Paul.
The EU fishery system..
The one that makes fisherman throw dead fish back into the sea if they overcatch, rather than reduce their next catch
You’re having a laugh son!!
November 20th, 2009 at 5:52 am
here u can find about pangasius…all this are lies that fish meat isnt that bad how is writen here….
http://mattsteinglass.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/thou-blackguard-thou-slanderest-my-fish/
November 20th, 2009 at 8:41 am
WATCHDOG Investigated
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
ITS FINE – Tesco’s Cobbler is farmed int he uk, some said Surrey.
November 21st, 2009 at 12:23 pm
No tak to je humus!!! Já pangasia vždycky jedla a hrozně mi chutná, ale po tomhle článku, co jsem četla, je to úplně odporné!!! Vždycky jsme to jedli na Vánoce, ale teď už se opravdu vrátím ke kaprovy…
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
You were reported by F.B.I. for the crime of broadcasting false messages; your assumed effort of unfair competition will be investigated soon, so please watch out of U.S. police.
November 23rd, 2009 at 12:14 pm
http://hoax.cz/hoax/pangasius—je-to-k-jidlu/
proboha všem komu jste poslali ten přiteplený mail pošlete rychle tenhle odkaz, mimochodem, přeposláním toho mailu se dopouštíte trestného činu rozšiřování falešné poplašné zprávy.
November 23rd, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Denna fisken har jag ätit varannan dag i flera år och jag har fått mindre värk i kroppen och mår mycket bra kollar ofta mina blodvärden och dom ligger på topp
November 24th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Ive had smoked river cobbler a quite few times now from tescos and enjoyed it.
November 27th, 2009 at 5:26 am
Watch Dog Report:-
Now they do check things out!
A fish called river cobbler
Post categories: Food and drink
Rob Unsworth – editor | 15:56 UK time, Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Watchdog has had several emails about a fish called river cobbler which is on sale at Asda and Tesco. It’s also on sale at Sainsbury’s where it’s called basa. It comes from Vietnam and its proper name is pangasius.
Some of you looked it up on the internet because you’d never heard of it before, and came across all sorts of horror stories claiming it’s fill of toxins, such as arsenic, toxic metals and harmful pesticides.
Lauren Antony from Lanarkshire emailed us to see if we could investigate this further and enlighten the nation, so we had a go.
Five tests
We sent a fish we bought in Asda to a lab, where the scientists did five tests to see if they could find some of the things the internet reports suggested they would.
The lab told us they couldn’t find detectable levels of any of those substances – which to all intent and purposes mean they weren’t there.
Now, as we only tested one fish, we can’t say the scare stories are a load of cobblers – but we found no reason why anyone should worry.
The supermarkets say they’ve done plenty of their own research too, and maintain that they wouldn’t sell any product that they weren’t confident in anyway.
November 28th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
What a load of crock…. are most of the readers mind dead or what… Cannot they see that this fable was originally designed to scare local consumers from purchasing their seafood form other foreign sources. I am an Australian Master fisherman and I specialize in seafood cuisine. I have yet to find a single case of food poisoning or a substantiated case of contamination of Bassa from any authoritive source.. in particular official food warnings and or actual cases of food poisoning. People are so paranoid these days…
If so many fish were so contaminated why are they so healthy. I often see huge fish kills in Australia from substances such as detergent spills or even once a milk spill into a pond. So ask your goodselves why… why this Bassa scare.
Now I will tell you. As a fisherman I once privy to a meeting of international seafood distributors and Vietnam was chosen at this meeting to be targeted as the source of all things bad in the fishing export import game… By doing this the heat would off the local industries and keep local fish prices inflated. It was good plan and it has worked.
So there you have it… its all about greed. money and more greed.
Find me an authority who can show and prove that the Vietnamese supplied Bassa is any more contaminated than our local Bream or tuna and I will eat my hat.. You cant because this fable is designed to remove dollars from your pocket not contamination from the seas and rivers.
Bassa is in fact a wonderful fish to eat and is so clean and palatable. FM Aussie Master Fisherman.
November 30th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I was at an hotel over the weekend and Pangasius was on the menu, I had never heard of it so I tried it. It was flavoured with Dill and I thought it was very good. When I researched the fish on Google, I thought it’s no wonder it’s sold by that name rather than River Cobbler. I do know it’s farmed in Surrey now, obviously I don’t know where mine was farmed but all the same I thought it was good. I would now have to check the price on the menu in future because I wouldn’t want to pay Cod or Haddock prices. My meal came bundled with the price of the hotel room.
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:48 am
It’s all just an advertising move. You are blinded by the boulevard.
Curiously, hamburgers, cheseburgry, chips together under pressure and pushing you one that’s going to die here and once you believe something you have not verified. It’s silly!
Greetings from Czech Republic, if you know where it really is, ;o)
Lucka Vlachová
December 3rd, 2009 at 3:54 am
Opinion of the State Veterinary Administration CR
In recent years, spreading the Net wrong Czech language journal article allegedly written by the terrible Pangas captive in Vietnam, which is full of all possible residues of malachite green and hormones from outsiders. In a careful reading, perhaps the sensible people understand that this is a classic libel.
However seménko mistrust has been sown and we have already responded to several questions, such as the school canteen operators, as is real. State Veterinary Administration CR zorganizovla two control actions in fish. One is specifically concerned Pangas originating from Vietnam, where the samples were laboratory tested for the presence of steroids, chlorinated pesticides and PCBs and chemical elements. All previous samples with negative results.
The second action aimed at deceiving customers in terms of labeling will be evaluated in the coming days. However, today may be noted that in 4 products Pangas were identified deficiencies in the description, but it was not oo health threats. It was the absence of content polyphosphates on the packaging (albeit below the limit) and found lower meat content than the manufacturer declared.
Pangas is a freshwater fish originally from Southeast Asia, from which we also frozen imports. It is characterized by fine white meat and admits quite popular. If customers have to put something out, and the price, in the sense that in the case of frozen fish for the price of meat not buy water. If fish are frozen and not otherwise identified, may contain water up to 5%. If the so-called glazing, which is to protect the fish meat from drying out cold, or water added to them with additives, the meat of fish contain more water. And the customer shall be informed. Some manufacturers therefore packs the fish state: “Without the added water”, here the customer can be sure that there is indeed water up to a maximum of 5%.
So we conclude if we released the fish at the market, ie market network must meet the conditions of health and how health supervision authorities keep being convinced this is true even of that Pangas!
Josef Duben,
printing. speakers SVS ČR
————————————————– ——————————
Observations on the report from Eurofrigo
Good day,
the matter pangasius:
- It is really a freshwater fish, farmovaná in Asia, particularly in Vietnam.
- Is fed pellets, as well as all farmované marine and freshwater fish (salmon in Norway, sea bream-dorado in Turkey, etc.)
- Water in ponds, where pangasius farmován the various arms of the Mekong and must be changed every day,
- Malachite green is a banned substance, used previously against zaplísnění gills of fish (which was previously also sladkovod. Fish in Europe, later forbidden), in the past for some supplies Pangas. in Europe, captured these substances and goods returned to Vietnam. In the last 2 years has not heard about it (see the recent test published in the MFD – the emerald green – all negative). Farm and processing factory are under the control of veterinarians from the EU and the EU have a reg number.
- Pangasius as freshwater fish (like carp, ..) does not, of course, many useful substances (iodine, -) as the fish of the sea, but not in any way harmful. Testing is done both in the ports of entry into the EU, random state vet. CR management.
- What is the amount of nutrition. substances (especially protein) is the Pangas. quite well, but beware, the main problem (and it is the same for marine fish !!!!) content is intentionally added chemicals (polyphosphate, citrate), which binds 20 to 30% of artificially added water within the fish meat in order to reduce the price. Then, of course, a customer who buys a fish eat less protein. The customer must check the composition on the packaging, if there is any chemistry (E.), they must reckon with the fact that it buys a lot more water, then, that in addition to the labeling of water in% – the amount of ice that is naglazovaný filleting, buys a further 20-30% of water inside the fish.
- Our company is just one of the importers pangasia, but unlike other import about 90% pangasia entirely without chemical additives, which have marked on the packaging.
Best regards
V. Prokop
Eurofrigo CZ
————————————————– ——————————
Observations on the report from Nowaco
As you know, pangasius is now one of the most popular fish on the Czech market. It is, in addition to its relatively affordable price, given the fact that the fish fillets are white, have no bones and are not feeling the dovetail.
Since it is a freshwater fish, it is logical that it include not the typical attributes of seafood – a high content of iodine, omega 3 fatty acids, and other health-promoting substances.
Another important factor is the fact that it is a fish, originating essentially from farmed game animals, nestravuje therefore, as is the case in wild caught species. Fish grow to the “selling” the size of roughly 1 year. They act only on the farms in Vietnam, it is obvious that they are imported into Europe only in the frozen state.
It is logical that the fish of the sea, consuming the plankton, are characterized by much better attributes and their consumption is much more appropriate and beneficial to the human body.
Do pangasia further for cheaper goods added additives (additives) that the fish muscle build more water. These are mainly polyphosphates (E 452). There is a standard set by the EU, which is 0.5% weight.
However, if the standard is exceeded, such a product can be considered harmful. Recently, by the way, had to withdraw several products from the market because it was found that polyphosphates contain more than allowed. In addition to the newly polyphosphates used other substances used to establish additional water, such as citric acid and baking soda, to ensure that the white color and pull the fish fillets taste.
There being no limits and can say that compared polyfosfátům is to man a more friendly way goods cheaper.
It is true that the consumer should be informed of all substances that have been used and should have to learn the composition of the product.
Our position is clearly favor seafood (such as cod or saithe štikozbuec), both because of their vastly greater benefits to the human body and also due to the fact that we offer fillets of marine fish with no additives and only so-called protective glaze, which prevents vymrzání filet and never exceeding 10%.
Company Nowaco of course closely examines the quality control and health of their products. Raw materials are permanently controlled by the sensory laboratory. Our packer of fresh and frozen fish is fully certified (HACCP, BRC, IFS), and is under constant veterinary supervision.
ing Predrag Bilic
guarantee the purchase of fish
NOWACO United Republic s.r.o.
December 6th, 2009 at 10:58 am
dan
just i want to thank you for your respond you are example of pure human ,,
thanks too much for this topic also ,,
i hope every one know about it ,,
December 7th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
It is a good fish to eat and I give it to my family and will continue to recommend to friends. I do not think that Tesco will take the chance of selling bad quality food to the people. The liability is too much to shoulder should anything bad happen. If you choose not to eat River Cobbler, eat something else, don’t make comments so unpalatable to those who still prefer to have it on their dinner plates.
December 12th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
hi there i had one mouthful of this fish from my boyfriends piece of panga 3 or 4 hours later i was vomitting for about 8 hour i was very ill i can only say i was allergic to the fish or my boyfriend as a iron stomach cos he was fine
December 13th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
The article made me laugh.
Did anyone else have visions of pregnant women in China strapped to some bizarre urine collection device?
Sensationalism and panic mongering should be left to the ‘real journalists’…
Heaven help us all.
December 15th, 2009 at 1:42 am
This is a bunch of horse manure….I have been to Vietnam, visited the farms and factories. There is nothing pleasant about industrial farming but the finished product is clean, blast frozen, and of highest quality. The fish monger is facing competition, no doubt, the cruel reality of a cheaper fish is it takes away demand of alternatives that cost 3-100% more. This is a delicious fish and I maintain a stock in my own freezer for soups and sautee tacos and sandwiches.
December 15th, 2009 at 8:33 am
[...] aka pangasius. It is farmed in unsanitary conditions and fed dubious food. have a read of this http://www.dietmindspirit.org/2008/0…ish-gray-sole/ You cannot go wrong with Cod and Salmon. Both are high quality proteins and native to our [...]
December 15th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
On sale in Tesco tonight – only noticed it because of the really cheap price, They had both fillets and smoked (yellow) – it looked like cod. Never heard of River Cobbler before, even the name is a bit off putting.
Don’t think I’ll be buying any.
December 19th, 2009 at 7:43 am
I`m eating for some time and i don`t got shit.
December 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I live in France and bought and eaten this fish a few times in ignorance so far not been ill as I have a very delicate constitution from too many trips to the Far East over the years. In fact just had some tonight for tea (thankfully before reading all this but now with regret!) I hadn’t heard of it as Pangas to be honest by my mother had told me about it as Vietnamese River Cobbler – so I will be warning her off I think….let me see how the night pans outs with a stomach full of Pangas! wish me luck!
December 23rd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
No worries, Pangasius is perfectly healthy fish, in terms of quality of a supermarket fish. Maybe not so light as Salmon, but still healthy and delicious. This massive hoax that spreads over the internet came out of one fun message, that went off like a fear spreading snowball.
Also have in mind that as long as you don’t grab a fishing pole and catch a fish from crystal clear river, you will still eat supermarket fish, grown in large fishtank.
December 25th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Nguyen Minh Triet….¿engulle panga?
December 29th, 2009 at 9:13 am
I eat this fish (from Tesco) regularly – once a week for the last three or four months. It is delicious and I have never had any ill effects at all. All the people who have commented that they’ve thrown their freshly-bought fish away are rather silly, I think. One must use one’s discretion in interpreting sensationalist scare-mongering…
January 6th, 2010 at 10:25 am
hey guysz yah kno wat ?! im jush disgusted by the fact that what ive been eating so far is actually some piece of contaminated shyte….urghhhh (my belly aches now) and like you kno wat im jus guna puke…..
well basically my family’s been eating this fish for like ages (we stopped a month ago) well a few months more like it and everyone loves it. nobodys ever had a bad reaction to it and we all seemed to love it and enjoy it for dinner. we even recommended it to other peeps and they sure loved it nobody had a bad side effect or anything. but when my dad and mum went to someones house a month ago they were like ‘remember we ate that yummy fish at yur house once’ and they wer like ‘our sons say its not good or sumit’ but their fam eats it. then me dad came home and googled it and found some nex stuff bout it tha its contaminated n shit. we were all disgusted and even tho we didnt have a side effect or anyfin we jus stopped it right there…….phewwww……..we were juss gunna be sikk mann……….yukkkkkkk :@
take care peopleszzzzzzzz -
and membaa
DONT EAT THAT FISH its grosssseyyyyyy eurghhhhhh
January 6th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
well i did test the fish and was not ill at all.i also thought it tasted ok.i do have to admit reading these posts put me off as i am fussy about what fish i eat and spent all day preparing to be sick.i wasnt and all in all the fish was fine and i think its a bit stupid to realy think a big store would sell a product that made all these people ill.well i rate it.its not cod but its a very good buy for the price.
January 7th, 2010 at 11:33 am
The BBC Watchdog programme, Tesco,Sainsbury and Government Labs have all checked this fish in labs and found no traces of anything harmful. I eat it on a regular basis and have bever been ill ever. I think people who are ill are simply so because of what they have read. I tend to toss mine in seasoned flour, dip it in egg and roll in natural breadcrumbs. A ferfect subsitute for thin cod fillet.
January 7th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Summary of BBC report – Watchdog has had several emails about a fish called river cobbler which is on sale at Asda and Tesco. It’s also on sale at Sainsbury’s where it’s called basa. It comes from Vietnam and its proper name is pangasius.
Some of you looked it up on the internet because you’d never heard of it before, and came across all sorts of horror stories claiming it’s fill of toxins, such as arsenic, toxic metals and harmful pesticides.
Lauren Antony from Lanarkshire emailed us to see if we could investigate this further and enlighten the nation, so we had a go.
Five tests
We sent a fish we bought in Asda to a lab, where the scientists did five tests to see if they could find some of the things the internet reports suggested they would.
The lab told us they couldn’t find detectable levels of any of those substances – which to all intent and purposes mean they weren’t there.
Now, as we only tested one fish, we can’t say the scare stories are a load of cobblers – but we found no reason why anyone should worry.
The supermarkets say they’ve done plenty of their own research too, and maintain that they wouldn’t sell any product that they weren’t confident in anyway.
January 8th, 2010 at 5:19 am
Hi,
there is something about this fish. At the first time I eat pangasius, it was two years ago. I never forget that day. I thought I was going to die. I had a pangasius, potatoes and some salat for lunch. I made it myself. half an hour even less after eating this meal it started. Vomiting, diarrhea and effects from food poisoning, exactly as written in the article above. It lasted the whole day. I thought it could be from anything I eat that day. Well 3 months later, I went for lunch to a restaurant, I had mash potato – as I eat them all life, this should be OK and a fish. They wrote on the menu just a fish (I remind that I had not eaten any food before). I eat it and half an hour after, I was laying on the office floor with pain and had the same as mention before. Two days after, I went to the restaurant to ask what fish it was. They said – Pangasius. Since than I would never eat that fish again. I do not have any alergy at and all fishes I have eat so far were OK. There must be something about this fish that gets certain people into this horrendous stage. This is my personal experience.. by the way I am from Czech republic.
January 8th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
To be honest even if it did have any contaminent in it you would have to eat a fair amount to make any difference to you.
I love the stuff and had it in excess of 30 times with no ill effect’s.
It’s amazing what people can convince them selves that they have got after reading a article.
January 8th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
If anybody is thinking of chucking there fish in the bin let me know and i will gladly pick it up for FREE.
January 10th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
This post should really be taken down and the blog operator taken to task or sued.
Its a hoax by European (and other) fish producers to manipulate gullible and naive people to buy their more expensive fish than fish imported from overseas.
The fish do not live in the river. They are raised in strictly monitored clean water ponds. Fish grown in the river are for local consumption because locals cannot afford the cost of export quality fish.
The entire content of the email is a hoax. If you read something but dont know the source of the information then you should assume it isnt true.
Im a Nigerian prince by the way and my father recently died in a plane crash. I am unable to open a bank account in my country due to an argument over my 30 million dollar inheritence. if you can open a bank account and send me your details we will split the 30 million.
I wrote it so it must be true!
January 10th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
this is a great fish, for all, young n old n i dont care wat anyone says. ok, their have been some articles about how it is full of contaminated substances or what not, but no one was ever realy sick due to consumption of the product. govmnt testing ,as well as the big chain supermarkets personal testing , have been done on this fish and nothing harmfull has been detected. my opinion, someone has spred a roumor, plain as that. the ones getting sick and blaming the pangasius prob cooked the fish 4 days after thawing it out…. its not fresh after 4 days n u run risks people!!!! the rest were sick cuz they read some bogus article about the fish but were never actualy sick due to eating it. i work in a fish market, one of my homeboyz has a restaurant were the basa is the best sellin seafood dish in the joint, n never have any of our custies complained of sickness. moral of the story is…. EAT PANGASIUS, IT’S SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION!!! DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!
January 10th, 2010 at 8:42 pm
one more thing… to all of u who think that pangasius is put out for sale in local stores even after someone says that this fish is contaminated, u people dont understand the concept of a product beein ”comestible”. recals exsist for a reason, and the reason is ongoing testing of all foreign or local products going into our supermarkets and local stores, so that NO PANGASIUS (or prductin general) BE CONTAMINATED AND BE ON A SHELF FOR SALE at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 10th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
if the product is tested n found to b contaminated, they are recalled!!! the companie that had the contaminated meats, what was it Schneider or Lafleur, well their shit was contaminated and recalled….. did u stop eatin hotdogs??
January 11th, 2010 at 5:46 am
Hey guys,
Do you think France is so naive that they do not know about this? Don’t you think France have any method to verify any imported food?
Please be logic before posting anything like this in your blog and appeal everyone not to use it. It’s silly. If you suspect Vietnamese food, just report it to French government and ask them to act accordingly.
I admit that what you said above may be true, BUT it is one side of a face. Do you know that Vietnamese farmer also industrialize their agriculture in order to export food properly to EU, US and Japanese market? It’s very easy and simple to go google and look for it.
I think you are a knowledgeable person, but this blog does not show that.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
just bought this fish…. lovely!
I will keep it eating it and guys: don’t believe everything comes up on internet!
and remember that even all your lovely british chicken are filled with water and eat
a lot of hormons in order to grow faster!
so if you have problems with meat and fish plese switch to a vegetarian diet!
easy!!!
January 12th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
I’d like to see some references.
January 14th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
hi five to the commet above a work in a restaraunt that sells this fish and we have dumb baw bags moaning all day long that this fish is bad for you if you dont want to eat it fuck off and pay more money somewhere else. its two meals for £9 what do you exspect.
January 16th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
The cost of fish oil products has risen significantly. I am giving my son 2 capsules a day to help him with memory. Does anybody know where I an find an affordable solution? By the way, it is great. His grade went up 2 points after consuming fish oil capsules.
January 17th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Stop blame Tesco for selling “dangerous” fish. It’s not only Tesco in UK selling cobbler. I’m a chef and can tell you the fish is fine and good value for money. Many people get ill or food poisoning because don’t keep the food properly, or don’t cook the meat or fish on the correct temperature.
What about the chicken in the market then? U can’t be sure where they coming from, and what the quality is.
Or what you buying for £0.99 in McDonald’s…so the choice is yours.
January 20th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
My dad forwarded a similar email to me and @ the chinese supermarkets in Toronto ( Canada ) they sold it for like $3 (Sale price) for the Basa fillet. We informed the boss already, but apparently they just kept selling it. (Selfish people)
January 25th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I eat this fish quite often, as does my mother, with absolutely no ill effects, like pretty much anybody else who isn’t allergic to seafood and cooks the thing properly. It’s tasty and flaky and affordable. This scaremongering is a load of cobblers, don’t be afraid to try this fish.
January 26th, 2010 at 7:20 am
This poorly written, inflammatory and completely inaccurate article could not be further from the truth.
Each silly myth is debunked below:
1. Pangas are teeming with high levels of [poisons and bacteria (industrial effluents, arsenic and toxic & hazardous by-products of the growing industrial sector, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), metal contaminants, chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB). The reasons are that the Mekong River is one of the most polluted rivers on the planet and this is where pangas are farmed and industries along the river dump chemicals and industrial waste directly into it.
Reality:
The Mekong River is not heavily polluted as suggested. The water quality is monitored by the Vietnamese authorities and the results are published. The river cobbler is grown in ponds alongside the river and the water is pumped intro settling ponds first to remove any silt.
Fish from every pond are tested before harvest for both microbiological and chemical contaminants and the Vietnamese authorities carry out random sampling all checks are readily available from the sites at any time. Tesco, and their suppliers have audited the farms and we are confident that Panga is of excellent quality and totally safe to eat.
2. They freeze Pangas in contaminated river water:
Reality:
The river cobbler aka Panga is filleted and frozen in modern factories that are of an extremely high standard and they use clean drinking quality water to wash the fish during the process. The factories have to meet the same high standards that we require of our UK factories and they have all been independently audited and approved.
3. Pangas are not environmentally sustainable, a most unsustainable food you could possibly eat – “Buy local” means creating the least amount of environmental harm as possible. This is the very opposite of the spectrum of sustainable consumerism. Pangas are fed food that comes from Peru, their hormones come from China and finally, they are transported from Vietnam. That’s not just a giant carbon foot print, that’s a carbon continent of a foot print.
Reality:
Panga is farmed in the areas where they are also caught in the wild. The farming operation provides employment to many thousands of people who would otherwise not have the same quality of work and life. The farms are much more efficient and use much less energy than fishing. The fish are then prepared in local factories providing more local employment and value to the local economy. The local Vietnamese people are highly skilled in hand preparing the fillets and do the work much more efficiently than it would be done in Europe by machine. The working conditions are very good and the rates of pay are higher than the alternative employment in the area. A very small proportion of the feed is made from the sustainably managed South American fisheries that ensures the river cobbler have both a sustainable diet and that the feed contains the best quality nutrients including this important Omega 3 rich fish.
Shipping the feed materials and the finished product by sea in large container ships has a relatively low carbon foot print per tonne of finished product. The arguments about where our food is produced and the relative impacts and costs are complex and a responsible retailer has to balance the benefits of farming/processing efficiency, impact from transport and the benefits for the local economy.
4. There’s nothing natural about Pangas – They’re fed dead fish remnants and bones, dried and ground into flour, from South America, manioc (cassava) and residue from soy and grains. This kind of nourishment doesn’t even remotely resemble what they eat in nature. But what it does resemble is the method of feeding mad cows (cows were fed cows, remember?) What they feed pangas is completely unregulated so there are most likely other dangerous substances and hormones thrown into the mix. The pangas grow at a light speed (practically!); 4 times faster than in nature…..so it makes you wonder what exactly is in their food?
Reality:
The feed is of very high quality and its production (by large reputable specialist international companies) is heavily regulated and monitored. The diet is made from sustainably harvested fish and vegetables. The process of making cooked and dried fish meal is safe and produces a highly nutritious part of the feed. They never use river cobbler to make river cobbler feed, it is all from sustainably managed fisheries in South America so the analogy with cows is completely incorrect. The feed does not contain any growth promoting hormones or any ‘dangerous substances’, these are unfounded comments.
River cobbler grows better in farms simply because it is fed consistently nutritious diets at the optimum feeding rate for growth without waste.
5. Pangas are injected with Hormones Derived from Urine – I don’t know how someone came up with this one but they’ve discovered that if they inject female pangas with hormones made from the dehydrated urine of pregnant women, the female Pangas grow much quicker and produce eggs faster (one Panga can lay approximately 500,00 eggs at one time). Essentially they’re injecting fish with hormones (they come all of the way from a pharmaceutical company in China) to speed up the process of growth and reproduction.
Reality:
Panga in the farms are not injected with any hormones so you need not be concerned.
The river cobbler grown in hatcheries, to produce the eggs needed to stock the farms are sometimes injected with hormones to stimulate spawning, not growth. This practice is regulated and safe and no hormones are carried over into the eggs. This practice is common with all species of fish farming including Salmon.
6. Pangas will make you sick
Reality:
Panga is safe to eat and free from the bacteria associated with food poisoning. The fish are tested prior to harvest to prove they are free from contamination then the fillets re tested after processing. Tesco suppliers take random samples and they have proved the fish to be of very good microbiological quality.
January 27th, 2010 at 11:13 am
ive just started a type of diet which requires me to eat a lot of fish, i chose pangasius as it is cheap n and full of protein, since monday ive ate 14 fillets (about 2.5kg) of it and am about to have my 15th and i feel healthier than ever, need i say more???
January 28th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
LOAD OF RUBBISH! WHERE YOU GOT THIS INFO IS BEYOND ME! THE PEOPLE WHO ALLOW THIS ON SALE DO ALOT MORE RESEARCH THAN YOU PEOPLE! FOR GODS SAKE SAUSAGES WERE APPARENTLY BAD TOO AT ONE POINT! JUST EAT THE DAMN FISH AND SHUT UP!!!!
January 30th, 2010 at 7:16 am
I discovered this panga’s fillets recently and I’m buying it, especially for my children during the working days. Can somebody tells me which is country of origin for panga imported in Montenegro ?
February 1st, 2010 at 11:54 am
@Critical Thinker: It is not a hoax. I have had this fish twice and was violently sick both times. I couldn’t figure out what caused the vomitting the first time because I have not been sick for over twenty years, so when I was very sick again the following week after eating the same fish I put two and two together, and I can tell you that it was DEFINITELY THE COBBLER FISH THAT CAUSED IT…
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:15 pm
My partner’s family and I have eaten the river cobbler three times recently as part of fish pie and i can safely say neither of us were ill or experienced illness of any kind. I will be continuing to eat this as part of my diet as the fish was succulent, meaty and held its shape whilst being poached in milk. I highly reccommend this fish. I am sure that tesco and other supermarkets have done rigorous testing before even purchasing stocks of this fish!!!
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:09 pm
We eat pangasius fish all the time and have never suffered any side effects – you just need to know how to cook fish properly and buy from a reputable supplier – perhaps not a major supermarket chain.
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:52 pm
If this is true then where is the epidemic of food poisoning in all the countries this fish is exported to?
It is BS. Dont be so gullible to believe this tripe.
There are no sources for this information other than what the blogger heard from “someone in the know”.
What a load of rubbish.
February 4th, 2010 at 9:57 am
This blog? What a propaganda started most likely by a jealous envious Anglo-centric UmmmmMmmmmmumer. Do not be gullible don’t believe a word of it. Just think: who could be behind the blog? an venomous narrow-interest party! It is most likely. I advise those of you whose guts grudged and rambled after eating this wonderful fish to try it again after properly cooking it, say by dusting with plain flour and frying it crisp (the Brits are of course UNIVERSALLY renowned for their cooking skills (sorry- joking!))and serve it with home grown pink-fir-apple tatties and wild rocket salad. YUMMMMY.and thank me. Make sure you have not been anywhere near a Kentucky fry chicken or consumed copiously in your local pub before hand. I call it: pan-gas- I- us.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
As a family we have eaten cobbler every Friday since we first discovered it at Tesco about a year ago. Always the same recipe, dusted in seasoned flour and shallow fried in oil, served with chips and mushy peas, delicious,the lack of any lingering fishy smells in the fridge and house is also a welcome bonus. My grandkids love it and I have no intention of stopping serving this meal
It’s the most affordable tastey fresh fish on the market and I should take no notice of scaremongering
February 5th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Oh, thanks for this blog and this post. Whatever you believe in, there is certainly food for thought here.
Scaremongering or not, it so so swell we have the internet to find and eventually discuss topics like these. If we should sit on our hands, waiting for the companies (or the governmental institutions for that matter) to inform us, we would never get hear anything!
@Peter, Jo, Mal, …
Food safety is and will always be an ongoing and neverending subject of discussion, but of course noone should overreact. You neither.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
BTW
Im danish and if you happen to read danish, here is some interesting sources concerning Pangasius:
http://www.ivs.life.ku.dk/Nyheder/2009/Pangasius.aspx
http://www.ivs.life.ku.dk/Nyheder/2009/~/media/Ivp/docs/pdf/Pop%20pangasius%20thuy%20260%20pdf%20%20%20Adobe%20Acrobat%20Professional.ashx
thank you…
February 6th, 2010 at 6:27 am
I have been violently ill three times in the past 6 months. Only on reading this website did I make the connection-after eating panga fish in a pub in UK, after eating (unknown prob panga) white fish on Qatar Airlines, after eating panagasius at my sister’s house in Germany. On each occasion it was only me that was ill, but my reaction was extreme.
February 7th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
hello all you pangas freaks!!
i am infact pangas thats daddy pangas to you….
i thought it would be ok to let my son (baby pangas) to go swimming on the web but it seems not!
he is so upset by all this bullying against him and his cousin young cobbler he is scared to go to supermarket tomorrow! what my son is going through right now is alot worse than a mere stomach ache please leave us alone and just for the record my wife likes to be injected with piss !
sleep well
xxx
February 9th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Tonight I am grilling my panga brushed with butter salt and a few drops of lime juice till golden and serving it with home made cauliflower mushroom sauce(Sparassis crispa) and toast, washed down with quality white wine.
May I suggest to Susan Thackeray February 6th, 2010 at 6:27 am most probably the cooking/catering was underdone or poor, it it was the fish indeed. BUT then I would never eat out when it comes to a delicate thing like panga, except from Raymond Blanche’s, a great fish fan
February 9th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Hi,
first of all , sorry about my bad english.
I try to protect the fish against as follows:
1. Pangas are teeming with high levels of poisons and bacteria. (industrial effluents, arsenic, and toxic and hazardous by-products of the growing industrial sector, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), metal contaminants, chlordane-related compounds ……..
Main quantity of pangasius are fermed in small farms around the Mekong- delta ,under strong control of water-quality . During the whole processing , the fish is controlled by veterinary inspection (NAFI).
All LOTs are controlled before leave Vietnam , and it is guaranted ( certified ), that no chemicals , parasites, bacteria found . By the arrival to any European port the European veterinary inspection controls the fish and their documentations . By any case of problems , the containers are rejected.
Lot of kinds of fish and seafoods are coming from the same waters ( for example shrimps ) since more than 20 years – not only panga.
About 90% of european shrimp consuption are coming from more or less same waters .
3. “”"Pangas are not environmentally sustainable, a most unsustainable food you could possibly eat – “Buy local” means creating the least amount of environmental harm as possible. This is the very opposite end of the spectrum of sustainable consumerism. Pangas are raised in Vietnam. Pangas are fed food that comes from Peru (more on that below), their hormones (which are injected into the female Pangas) come from China. (More about that below) and finally, they are transported from Vietnam to France. “”"
He says: buy local foods . OK . I buy chicken growt up in 26 daysin 1/8 sqm in France,feeded with imported chinese or polish feed, (even with genetic manipulated soya or wheel )injected with antibiothic for faster grow up, specially manipulated for big breast.
Hormones injected to female fish : it is an worldwide used method, to adjust the reproductive time. Normally it is used in France too , in all fish farms , or offshore farms. It helps for male and female fish to harmonize the spawing time only.
Hormones used in France are from China too. It is the cheapest I think.
4.”"” There’s nothing natural about Pangas – They’re fed dead fish remnants and bones, dried and ground into a flour, from South America, manioc (cassava) and residue from soy and grains. This kind of nourishment doesn’t even remotely resemble what they eat in nature. But what it does resemble is the method of feeding mad cows (cows were fed cows, remember?) What they feed pangas is completely unregulated so there are most likely other dangerous substances and hormones thrown into the mix. The pangas grow at a speed light (practically!): 4 times faster than in nature…so it makes you wonder what exactly is in their food? Your guess is as good as mine.”"”"
All fish farms around the world use fish flour to feed the fish. The cow eat cow : It is not a good example, because the ( predator )fish eat really fish!
All kind of fish ( and poultry, and pig , and beef, ……) grow up much more faster when farmed, than in the nature , because of more than enough feed, high protein and fat content of feed …
So, I think ” Dont eat fish ” is just an attack against someting, wich the author doesnt know.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
hi guys
my son is still in trauma due to the verbal garbage on this site. me and my many family members dont mind being killed and eaten but please cook me gently and thoroughly maybe you could cook us with garlic butter yummy!!! and hey lets all chill and have a laff ?? pangas or cobbler (never)
speak soon
xxx
February 9th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
susan thackeray
maybe we as a family of beautiful pangas and cobbler members just dont like being in your stomach ??? but we like your sisters!
enjoy xxx
February 10th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
The next part of this story will be – American Pangas fish is safe and organic. The fact is all these negative publicity is killing the fishing industry in poor countries like Vietnam. The high import taxes was not enough. These poor countries are trying to get some level playing field through WTO and NAMA. This negative onslaught is part of the bigger campaign to grow and protect the US market for products and commodities that provide a lifeline for the poor countries.
People who don’t like Pangas fish or any other food from these developing countries can always go for the Big Mac.
For those of you brave enough – watch Food Inc.
February 10th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
people,
two towers in america were destroyed by the goverment, to move to iraq.
all wars were created by gun sellers to make them continue.
all food is genetically modified in all poisonous ways. almost everything in stores are fucked up. it is obvious. it is the future of magnates’ businesses.
fish? of course where is no doubt that it will be modified as everything else.
no modification-no business.
wake a fuck up! resist!
February 14th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Hey Guys !!! … I’m a pescatarian … for the uninformed that’s a ‘veggie’ that’s eats fish as well !!! … I ate Panga in France for 6 years with absolutely no side effects !!! … It’s a really Great tasting fish …
and if you want to talk up a storm about anything, then try chicken, pork and beef … and see what bad influence they have on your body !!! …
February 17th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
[...] http://www.dietmindspirit.org/2008/01/30/why-you-shouldnt-eat-this-fish-pangas-pangasius-vietnamese-… [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Believe what you want about this fish !! but what i know is that after 3.5 hrs of eating my 12yr old son and my wife are spewing their insides out. I’m next in line so i’ll keep it short……….if only i’d read this before cooking the dame stuff. never again.
February 19th, 2010 at 4:23 am
I spent the better half of an evening researching your comments as I was very surprised. I looked it up under FDA (Federal Food & Drug Administration) EU food restrictions and cautions AND NOTHING. You may not like farmed fish but let me give you some facts. Panga is farmed from Bangladesh to the Philippines. Fish eat fish that fish that fish. Using dehydrated fish parts to feed fish is not uncommon. What do you think they feed Salmon and Bass that are farmed. If you looked at the video (obviously you do not understand French) it would have explained the complete process of the farming of fish in Vietnam. They take great pains to bring the fish live to the plants to fillet. And the plants are spotless. The pictures you depicted in your article is very misleading. If there were serious problems with PANGA there would have been a scandal in the EU and the USA regarding the sale of it on the open market.
Stop being alarmists and have the respect of the general public to research the article before publishing it. Some people do not spend an evening checking out what you say but take it at face value. NOT EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE NET IS TRUE
February 21st, 2010 at 12:36 am
I have purchased this fish on many occasions, it works well in many recipes. I don’t know about mercury/hormone content level. In the States, I guess that we sort of hope that there is some government regulation on the importation of fish. There are plenty of bad things to be said about the mercury levels found in the fish that are farmed in this country. Unless you know the fisherman, can you ever really know how healthy your seafood is? In order to keep fish in our diet at an affordable price, I will continue buying this fish.
February 21st, 2010 at 11:12 pm
These informations which you read as above are completely not true. As science proved that Pangasius is good for health with DHA and Omega3. The bilion of people use Panga but not any problem for their health. Pangasius is really good and taste.
February 22nd, 2010 at 8:14 am
Please see BBC Link, this fish was investigated in April 2009 on BBC Watchdog and nothing harmful was found.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
February 23rd, 2010 at 6:17 am
I bought frozen Pangassius from Farmfoods 2 weeks ago.
Within 5 hours of eating it I developed diarrhea which lasted for 4 hours (my body felt very weak – similar to flu symtoms). I recovered the following day. My wife had no symptoms so I didn’t think the fish was to blame. However I ate some more the following weekend and the same happened again except this time i was also vomitting and had stomach pains. Again I recovered the next day. My wife had not eaten any this time.
It would appear to me that some pieces are contaminated and some are not – I will not knowingly risk Pangassius again.
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:50 am
Any food product can be bad when raised in horrific conditions by unscrupulous people out to make a fast buck at the expense of everyone else.
Pangasius catfish are, in fact, very palatable fishes which have long been recognized as a food source in some Southeast Asian countries. In the Philippines, it is raised healthily in lakes and sold in supermarkets as “cream dory” probably because the delectable fillets are similar in taste and texture to the discoid marine fish called dory or john dory.
Maybe what one should avoid is food products from countries like Vietnam.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Have a look at the WWF link:
http://aquanic.org/species/catfish/documents/wwfpangasias.pdf
But fishfarming probably has limited growth anyway… be sure to watch the excellent documentary “The End of the Line” for a global overview.
Also, most fishfarming uses growth hormones and antibiotics. Best to become vegetarian.
February 25th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
I have just read some of the articles left by people.
I have been eating river cobbler mainly in the beginning because of the cost, it was so cheap. I absolutely love it. After reading some of your articles I too looked into it, there were tests done, ok it was done on very limited numbers, but, they could not find any of the toxins etc etc that were in “The Scare”, I have never suffered any of the sickness and vomitting that some people have experienced. I do suffer from various blood problems, pernicious anemia, low platelet amongst a few, but since eating this fish on a regular basis, once or twice a week, (along with exercise regular fruit intake etc,) I dont have to have injections for b12, and I have to say feel better in myself, whether psycological I dont know, but if you listen to all of the bumf we are fed you wouldnt eat anything. So Tuck in peeps I love it.
February 25th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
PS Perhaps some of the problems caused were due to food storage?????
February 25th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
I LIVE IN THE UK. I HAVE BEEN EATING THIS FISH ONCE A DAY EVERY DAY SINCE NOVEMBER, 2008. I BUY IT FROM A LOCAL TAKEAWAY. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY SUCH ADVERSE AFFECTS SO FAR.
February 26th, 2010 at 8:55 am
I am an Msc student studying the environmental effects of war and have come across information relation the the contamination of vietnamese rivers by the dioxins as a result of Agent Orange use by americans during the war. I immediately thought of this fish as I know places that sell it so it is worth further investigation and I may even consider using it as a research topic.
February 26th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Dear All,
I am terified from all this news. I am from Romania and here to every party you go like weddings they serve a main of pangasius fish. Until 2 years ago I never heard about this fish but now it is every where.
I hope you are wrong. Any way i will not eat anymore this kind of fish.
Regards,
Adrian
March 1st, 2010 at 5:03 pm
i have ‘vietnamese river cobbler’ from Tesco every week and have done so for months, i have yet to suffer any ill-effects from eating the fish (both the unsmoked and smoked). Haveany of you seen the bbc1 (repeated on bbc 3)documentarieson food, its not just fish that isnt 100% pure..its just about everything; From bread and milk to lamb shank and fruit juice!
March 1st, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Actually I quite like it! I’ve never had a bad experience with this fish.
Victoria
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:52 am
It is heartening to see the increasing positive and objective comments about this wonderful fish. The tide is tuning on the chauvinistic scaremongers. Only the naive and simple can be lead like sheep by them, what is better both are in minority. Enjoy your pangasius!
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 am
@jo, So you think its ok to eat a fish that was reared 1000′s of miles away and then flown over here? For gods sake, we are and Island surrounded by water and fresh fish is no further than a couple of hundred miles from anyone but you would prefer to eat this?
”Only the naive and simple can be lead like sheep” your words you naive and simple person
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:23 pm
I have been eating Basa/Pangasius for over 5 years, since it first started to be imported to Europe and have NEVER been sick.
I work in a job where I have regular check ups including toxicology, blood tests etc. and I am in just as good health as before I started eating this fish.
All these claims from this scaremongering campaign are without any references, any scientific statement not backed up by references or supporting research is not science at all.
Keep eating this fish, it is thos in the European and western fishing industry that want to scare you into not eating cheap imported fish but to instead buy their more expensive product.
Dont be taken for a sucker!
March 3rd, 2010 at 1:53 pm
It is still on sale at H.E.B Plus stores in Texas U.S.A. Ad reads : $ 2.99 per lb. StripedPangasius Fillets .Previously frozen,farm raised.sold in 2 lb bags only March 3rd.2010
March 5th, 2010 at 2:47 am
To Fishman
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 am
Native or not, there is no harm in saying the truth!
After all we import all sorts of goods and foods… why not fish?
March 5th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
I just did a search on river cobbler and found this site – reaon I did a search is we ate some smoke river cobbler – tasted fine – but were ill afterwards.
had never been to this site before or read any adverse publicity about river cobbler so it was a bit of ahock to read all this.
I will certainly be getting back to Tesco now to complain about their selling a fish that has such a bad reputation
March 10th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Hello
I’m from Slovakia, I eat Pangasius for a long time, it is a delicious fish. I have never been sick or ill caused by this fish. If you want, get some facts to compare how are chickens, cows, pigs farmed…
March 10th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
For those who have gotten ill after eating pangasius…it may be that you have an intolerance to that variety of fish. My wife has eaten fish her whole life and recently tried tilapia. She found that she became very ill within hours of eating
it each time. So far panga has had no such effect.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
type this into google:- ” BBC – Watchdog: A fish called river cobbler” watch dog had the fish analised in a lab for the toxins this web site talks about, and found nothing.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
How stupid are people?
A blog posts a ridiculous story full of alarmist nonesense without any attribution and people who have posted above just believe it?
Someone wrote it so it must be true?
Why are people so stupid?
This fish has been eaten by millions of people, if it made people sick I’m sure there would have been an epidemic of poisonings by now.
Why dont people think, who wrote this article? What are their qualifications? Why did they write it? Who benefits?
It relies on implicit racism to assume that because something comes from a developing country it must be poisonous/deadly/bad for you etc.
If whoever wrote this rubbish wont publish their name, their qualifications, their sources, scientific research then its not worth believing at all.
It has been written by European and Western fishing industry protectionists who want you to buy their more expensive fish rather than the cheaper imported product.
Its a hoax people! Dont be so gullible!
March 13th, 2010 at 2:47 am
i live in lebanon
i want to know if the same filet is in the middleast
to because the price is very cheap
thx
March 15th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
We bought river cobbler in Tescos. Being a salmon farmer myself I googled this cobbler. After 2 hours reading this site there is obviously a major question mark. No way will I risk my kids to this fish, it’s going in the bin.
March 16th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
The fact that we are all reading this is a clear indication that our Governments across Europe and North America have failed us miserably.
Food safety is a basic concern. Governments spend more time taxing us than doing their job. Pathetic.
Better to raise our own food supply no doubt. Big grocery stores have also failed the public trust.
March 17th, 2010 at 2:26 am
No need to say, we all know who stand behind this propaganda material. The same has been circulated in Florida and other Southern States of US as well. This is the old story of an unfair war generated by interest-conflict competitors in Europe as well as the Association of Catfish Farmers of America (CFA).
Since end of 90’s decade of 20th Century, thanks to the good taste, consistent quality and reasonable price, the volume of Vietnamese Pangasius fillet (River Cobbler, Swai, Basa …..) imported to the US market increased considerably, which angered CFA. That why they have been using US mass media, various propaganda materials including video clips, photos from any available sources, no matter how reliable & trustworthy these sources are, to provide mis-information to distort the image of our Vietnamese Pangasius products.
In November 2000, a delegation of nearly 20 members including professors from the Auburn University (Alabama State) and American catfish raising and processing companies made a fact-finding tour of Vietnam. They made thorough surveys of the actual conditions of feeding and farming Pangasius fish in floating cages and inland ponds, including Pangasius processing plants in Mekong delta. They praised the technology and equipment for feeding, farming , food safety and hygiene conditions in processing plants. At that time, if the Pangasius industry in Vietnam had problems then US FDA (US Food & Drug Administration) would have banned the import of our Pangasius products to US but this was not the case here. After the fact-finding tour, they thought that they could not generate the war with food safety and hygiene conditions then they started the war with anti-dumping protectionism. In 2003 they won the war when US DOC (Department of Commerece) imposed very high anti-dumping duty rate upon our Pangasius products imported into US.
Since then, they have continued to provide mis-information like what are shown in this propaganda material.
I want to briefly explain some information:
I live in Can Tho City, the center of Mekong delta areas. The major business of Mekong delta is agriculture. The water of the Mekong River can not be as polluted as that of Mississippi River , Rhone River ….flowing through those industrial countries. In addition, since 1999 US FDA has been regularly sent findings of such inspection reports on the quality of the water in aqua-culture areas of Vietnam and the findings on the control of toxic residue in Pangasius raised in Vietnam . These reports show that the indicators on residue of heavy metals and fertiliser collected from 30 stations in the Mekong lower reaches are much lower than the international permissible level. Understandably, this region is still under developed and harmful fertilisers have long been banned by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The argument that the Mekong river is one the most polluted rivers in planet and contains dump chemical and industrial waste are all lies. They failed to provide any scientific proof to back up their assumptions. If there are such contamination, how can our Pangasius shipments passed numerous tests made by US FDA ?
I hope above information would explain itself about the propaganda material against our Pangasius fish.
March 20th, 2010 at 4:40 am
Mr son in law was vomiting last night shortly after eating river cobbler. His wife and son ate it too and were OK. The same thing happened once before after he had eaten river cobbler. Maybe this is an allergy? That would explain why some people get sick and some don’t.
March 20th, 2010 at 7:49 am
I have been eating this fish for ages and love it.
Meaty, fleshy and nutritious. I shall continue to eat it and have done without any adverse reactions thus far.
If this food concerns you, then don`t even think about drinking a can of coke or any other sugar laden processed convenience food that litters the supermarkets these days. Sugar laden junk is much more of a worry than a fish with a scare story behind it.
March 20th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
I have just eaten this fish which I got from Asda. I thought it tasted good and if you knew about half of what you eat you would probably stave to death…
March 21st, 2010 at 6:16 am
we as a family of four have now had cobbler on several occassions for dinner with no adverse affects,saw it being cooked on bbc 2 programme something for the weekend,which prompted me to reply,its a lovely fish with no bones, thats a big bonus,we will continue to eat this fish as it is more cheaper than the other basic fish that they are selling for fancy prices nowadays.
March 22nd, 2010 at 4:38 am
We have been serving Pangasius for 6 years as a fried fish sandwich. It is one of our most popular dishes. I have never heard of anyone not feeling well after eating one. I get complements all the time that we have “The Best” fish sandwich in the city.
March 22nd, 2010 at 6:26 pm
This ‘article’ is ridiculous scare-mongering and utterly discredits dietmindspirit.org
I eat river cobbler regularly – I have never had any ill effects. I know at least a dozen other people who have eaten it with no ill effects.
I stumbled upon this page through google – based on this I won’t bother reading any of their other reports.
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:43 am
This is nothing more than propaganda from US and European industry protectionists who want you to purchse their more expensive product than the cheaper high quality imported fish.
No sources, no scientific data, just outrageous claims which rely on people’s gullability to believe them.
Its not even an actual document, just a blog posting.
Dont be taken for a fool.
As has been stated above, if Basa has been eaten by millions of people millions of times over the past 10 years where is the epidemic of poisoning?
If it was dangerous why is it still being imported and passing ALL food quality and safety tests in all countries it is exported to?
Do an internet seach and try to find documentary evidence that this fish is harmful…good luck because you wont find any.
Farmed fish are not raised in the Mekong River and incidentally the Mekong river is snow melt from the Himalayas and is a fast flowing river it is probably less polluted that many US or European rivers.
If you are shown photos of fish in dirty looking waterways and canals these are fish produced by locals for their own consumption because they cannot afford the export quality farmed fish.
Dont be played for a fool by people who want you to buy their more expensive product.
Keep eating Basa!
March 28th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
read the date of the first few posts February 2008 so you people are saying Tesco have been selling toxic fish for over 2 years now and no one but the few on here have noticed this
YEAH OK
March 28th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
This article is a pile of old pants and should be confined to the waste basket.
March 29th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
I am eating Basa as I type this, my family and myself have been eating Basa/River cobbler for years without any problems.
Maybe some of the posters on here should be looking at what they are eating in sausages instead of worring about this fish.
March 31st, 2010 at 2:31 am
I’m Thai, and now I just realise how much horror of the bad rumour comes from the only 1 bad attitude not only in Thailand.. We are all the same..
“the best prove is to find out the truth yourself, not from bad rumour”
I have imported this fish 2-3 containers/month for 4 years without any health problems with my customers..
Those ill are bad luck, watch out your kitchen whether it is sanitary enough or not..
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:05 am
from the comment posted since posting my last blog suggest that truth is turning against the anti river cobbler propaganda started here by whoever.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Tescos are still selling the cobbler and it is very cheap. It doesnt taste nice and I shall be contacting them over it.I had a feeling that the fish was from the Mikong River
April 4th, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I’ve just eaten the Pangasius hypophthalmus fillet. It’s the best fish I’ve ever tasted! I have loads more in the freezer and will continue to eat this fish, until I learn more.
I have emailed the Senior Aquaculture Advisor at the WWF, who have been in talks since 2008 to regulate the farming of pangasius. I believe that they are currently putting together some solid regulations in regards to the Panga aquaculture industry.
I know that there were Eight key issues were identified during the first meeting of the Pangasius Aquaculture Dialogue back in 2008. Have a look on the WWF website. I will update once I have more info.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Just a few quick points . . .
1. Catfish farmer’s in the US don’t like people buying Basa. It cuts into their business. Scare tactics???. . .Hmmmmm.
2. Do Your research!! Use a library or an unbiased source, do not rely on wikipedia solely. Stupid unsubstantiated claims are believed everyday by suckers who are to lazy to do their own research.
3. It tastes great. It IS affordable. Family, friends and co-workers eat it all the time and have never gotten sick. Fingers crossed huh, MARIE (from a year ago. . .or whatever your name is now)? I don’t think we get sick because it is prepared properly, I dunno.
4. Post some good recipes for those of us who enjoy it, have iron stomachs, or just don’t care. Thanks to those who have decided to boycott this . . . there will be more for the rest of us. Na-nu-na-na.
Thanks for your support,
Chik Fil’A Cows
April 6th, 2010 at 5:54 am
frozen food company farmfoods are now selling pangasius fish packed frozen and also selling it as basa fish i have read your page about these catfish i was going to buy it for tea oneday but did not reconise the speicies of fish i went home and asked my husband and he told me not to bring it into the house as it is full of chemicals and injected with female urine for growth i could even imagine what kind of illness you could get eating this stuff
April 6th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
We all eat this fish for many year 2 or 3 times/month and nothing hapening .
April 7th, 2010 at 3:56 am
Best fish in the world! Does not leave your kitchen stinking that horrid aftersmell like cod. good firm meaty pale pink, no bones, comparatively cheap (approx £1.30 per fillet)
I cook mine in the microwave with salt, black pepper, parsley, squeeze lemon, and patted with butter, high temp (850watt) 4 mins, add a drop of double cream reheat 1 min, absolutely delish!
If anyone smells a chemical smell then the fish is off before its cooked, so dont eat it, be sensible!
Because this is freshwater fish, not seafish, it does not smell or taste strong, if you CAN smell it then its been stored too warm and youd be stupid to cook and eat bad fish.
April 8th, 2010 at 6:29 am
I bought 8 frozen fillets of Youngs Vietnamese Basa fish from my local Farm Food store in January this year and my husband and I had half of them baked with a soy sauce and salad. Two hours later I began to feel bloated and felt very nauseous, and this went on for a few hours, and the next day I experienced what seemed to be bad indigestion. I put this down to a stomach bug.
Two weeks later I baked the remaining fish with peppers and as before, about two hours later, I experienced the same symptoms, only this time I was violently sick several times and felt weak and ill for some time afterwards.
I thought it reasonable to assume I had an intolerance or even an allergy to basa fish and consulted the internet to see exactly what this fish was, as it was the first time I’d ever knowingly eaten it, and was horrified to see an Australian film about the polluted Mekong Delta where the fish is farmed.
I contacted Youngs, who told me their fish is sourced from clean Vitnamese waters and subsequently, I received a letter from them which included a £6 voucher for more of their fish products. They suggested it could have been something else I ate which made me ill.
I spent the £6 voucher on scampi and battered fish fillets, only to find on close inspection of the very small print on the back of the packet, that the battered fish was not coley or pollock, as I had thought, but was BASA.!
As my husband had not appeared to suffer any kind of reaction to eating basa, he ate the battered fish and about two hours after eating it, he reported feeling bloated and nauseous, and this went on for some hours.
Youngs told me they had received no other complaints with regard to this fish and suggested that I may have suddenly developed a fish allergy.
I have continued to enjoy various kinds of white fish, shellfish and salmon since then, with no kind of reaction and can only conclude that basa fish was to blame. I contacted the FSA who also suggested this may be a personal allergy so I have even made an appointment with my doctor to rule out the possibility of a personal allergy to basa and intend to continue to investigate this fish. Obviously I will never knowingly eat it again, but am very concerned that the elderly infirm or young children could suffer the same or even fatal syhmptomsn from eating it.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:06 pm
I bought 3 fillets for £5 from a fish shop,Arndale, Manchester three days ago. It tested very nice but since reading this article i dont think i am going to have any types of fish which is injected with dehydrated urine from pregnant women (yaki)
April 10th, 2010 at 3:13 am
Wake up people! Is it so hard for someone to take a sample of this fish ant test it in a laboratory? I gues it won’t prove anything. That is why we have this internet campain against it. I think this fish just affects its competitors because of the price.
April 10th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I bought a fillet of river cobbler today and went on googleto find how to cook it and came across this article. As soon as I read it I threw it in the bin. I bought it from tesco. I have sent off an email to tesco asking them to stop selling it. Its pure poison DONT EAT IT for your own sake PLEASE.
April 15th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I love this fish I have been eating this for years and never had problem. I think a fish like this could help replace the nearly extinct species we have over fished.
At the end of the day if all you people who experienced illness had cooked the fish thoroughly in the first place, about half of you would not have got ill.
The rest would probably have been bad storage, whether it was you or the supermarket. It’s the same with chicken, most chicken has salmonella bacteria, but the people who get ill are the ones that have bad kitchen pratice, IE: x contamination and not cooked for long enough.
Most of the cold products in a supermarkets are repeatedly taken in and out of the fridge numerous times before someone buys it. do what I do and only take from the back of the fridge. I use this rule for everything and I never get ill.
April 16th, 2010 at 3:32 am
Lady Dukes seems to know it all! What makes her so certain that ” all we people who experienced illness ” either undercooked the fish or had bad kitchen practice?
I was a caterer for years with all the necessary qualifications in Food Hygiene and take great care over cooking to correct temperature, scrupulous hygiene to avoid cross contamination, and proper stock storage and rotation with regular checks on fridge and freezer temperatures, YET basa fish made me ill on the only two occasions I ate it.
Yes, I would certainly have had a piece lab tested had there been any remainder, but there wasn’t.
Anyway, it’s nice to hear SHE never gets ill. Lucky her!
April 18th, 2010 at 8:51 am
I love the fish. We all eat it frequently; prepearing a different ways, mostly baked with butter and dill. Delicious. My 2 yeras grandowughter loves it. I trust the food i spectors before they allow new fish on canadian market – it is tested and checked. Some whako read or seen something without checking out… and what. … panic.. do not throw this fish. it is lean, low in fat, high in omega 3 & 6. Good fish.. and quite reasanable priced at least in Toronto. Seems like everywhere.
April 18th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Myself my partner and my daughter all had this fish one evening and ended up with the worst case of Gastroenteritis. We had cramps, vomiting, foul fishy burps and it all lasted for weeks. I bought mine from Farmfoods stores in blackburn lancashire but will never touch the stuff again. This should be banned!!!
Ps, i am extremely clean when it comes to cooking and i even cooked the fish a lot longer than it said on the packet.
April 21st, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I bought it,did’nt like it so did’nt buy it again.
End off.
Stop moaning.
April 24th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I have used this fish in my cafe for 2 years and my customers love it and I only ever receive compliments and never complaints.
April 26th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
No one seems to have mentioned, that the USA Air Force dumped Millions of tons of Agent Orange on the Vietnamese jungle, during the Vietnam War.
Could it by now, be finding its way into the Mekong Delta, and into the fish stocks ?
April 26th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Saw this in a farmfoods brochure and it was their cheapest fish. I had never heard of it so searched it expecting the fish not to have rave reviews, and my expectations were met. It seems a lot of people have got violently ill off this fish, which may mean that it has a higher probability to cause allergic reactions, which can’t be good! I will be staying clear of this fish and buying good quality fresh fish
April 27th, 2010 at 5:58 am
[...] Un articol ce ne spune sa NU mancam acest peste la aceasta adresa: http://www.dietmindspirit.org/2008/01/30/why-you-shouldnt-eat-this-fish-pangas-…/ [...]
April 27th, 2010 at 9:43 am
Bought it liked it loved it and will buy it again.
Everything we cook and eat needs to be cooked properly. If you cooked it and puked you failed in your cooking abilities so go back to school and start moaning about something else and next time don’t eat raw fish cos it makes you puke.
I suppose someone can tell me how many unpolluted rivers there are in the world and how many fish have eaten something they shouldn’t have – Perhaps a worm. oooo makes me sick. Grow up the lot of you.
♥♥♥♥♥
Good for your heart – Well done Tesco for finding something decent, cheap and reliably farmed.
April 30th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Sounds like YOU need to grow up, Steve – or maybe not!!
May 1st, 2010 at 8:05 pm
After eating this iam very sick…………….dont eat this fish………..
It is poison.
May 8th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
This discussion has been going on for two years. I tried it in a madras last Saturday and boy it gave me the squits. Mind you, chicken madras does exactly the same. But seriously, it was a lovely fish and I will definitely have it again; only next time I’ll probably have the leg.
May 11th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
What a joke!
Other than this blog posting which references no sources whatsoever other than “a friend told me” can anyone find any other independent supportive evidence that there is anything at all wrong with this fish?
The stupidity of people amazes me.
This fish has been eaten by millions of people millions of times over the past several years. If it makes people sick then where are the millions of cases of food poisoning?
How come I have eaten this fish dozens of times over the past few years and have never been sick?
How does this fish continue to meet strict EU/US/Canada/Australia import standards?
It’s all a conspiracy! Only you know better because you read it a blog! Hahahaha. The gullibility of people!
This whole campaign of disinformation is driven by industry protectionists whose profit margins are declining and are threatened by a cheap imported quality product.
Your brain is there for a reason, try using it!
May 17th, 2010 at 11:21 pm
I at this unknowingly in Jaipur last week and have been ill ever since – I had diarrhoea, nausea, high temperature, general weakness and still several days later I cannot eat anything without the symptoms returning. This is 6 days after eating it. I wish I had been told what the fish was before I ate it but there was a big language barrier in the hotel I stayed at and not for a minute did I think I would be given this fish in a high end hotel. I am suffering, my holiday is suffering and my poor husband is also suffering as a result of my illness. The only thing not suffering is my weight loss. Not a joke.
May 19th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Vivienne, 6 days worth of food poisioning? sheesh, you should go to the doctors quick then because you must be severely dehydrated and in quite some danger. To the rest of you scare-mongers, do your own bloody research. I eat this fish sometimes upto 4 times a week and it’s delicious. In fact I ate it tonight. I do find it absolutely ridiculous that the general British population are such scare-mongers, all someone has to do is say boo and thats it, Tesco shops everywhere sell out of bread and milk. Honestly, nothing is going on, it’s all in your heads. Finally, my last point, is that you cannot be THAT worried about additives in your food, or eating strange parts of animals that usually wouldn’t be classed as edible, since so many Iceland stores are still in business. I’d take fish (especially panga) vs. MRM (Mechanically reclaimed meat) any day, google it if you like and have a read.
May 22nd, 2010 at 4:31 am
I bought 2 packets of the frozen fillets on a buy one get one free basis (very cheap) from a supermarket here in Cyprus where I live. Had first meal of it last night (before reading this forum). Coated it in flour, then beaten egg (free range) and dipped into breadcrumbs with dried parsley, fried in a little sunflower oil. Result – delicious, and both me and my wife (both over 65) feel fine today. Will have it again, and again ……
May 27th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
Cannot help thinking most of the sickies here are either made-up bloggers planted by the shadowy characters who started this propaganda, or need their digestive systems examined or replaced.
I’ll go on enjoying this fish as have done for many years.
June 2nd, 2010 at 12:02 am
This smells fishy to me.
June 2nd, 2010 at 4:19 pm
I am a but suspicious about that Steve guy and also Hawkeye Ben. I bet they work for Tesco. You have to be careful about what you eat. People in Minamoto Japan were eating dolphin meat which has high level’s of mercury in it and it created what is now known as Minomoto disease. Google it, it’s pretty bad. I had three, well cooked fillet’s of this fish last night and I had a massive headache afterwards. I am not sure if it was from the fish or not, but I wish it wasn’t from the fish and I wish the fish were grown in better conditions. I mean please Steve and Hawkeye, it just makes sense what this person wrote about the fish and how it is raised. Mad Cow disease came from cows who were fed cows. Now it looks like these fish are being fed ground up dead fish and fish bone. Now what you have to know is Mercury is in fish. I don’t remember all the details about mercury, but I think it comes from underground in the water. I don’t remember, but I watched a documentary called The Cove that talked about Mercury and why it is unsafe to eat Dolphin meat, because fish has a certain degree of mercury in it. Then the Dolphin’s eat the fish and then the Dolphins have a very high degree of mercury in them. The dolphins are o.k. with that level of mercury, but for humans to ingest that level of mercury it is poisonous. The whole Minamoto disease came from high level’s of mercury, it even seems very similar to the mad cow disease, the symptoms and everything, kind-of. I am sure mercury has can have different effects on different species and what not. But the pangasia, if they are fed dead fish, they are going to have higher levels of mercury in them even as dolphins do. That is just the mercury issue, let alone all the other issues this blogger mentioned about the pangasia, which are definately worth looking into. Some one mentioned pork and hotdogs and what not. I would imagine if bought here in America, or I would hope that the main brands or companies that are recognized for their pork at least have certain cleanliness standards and hormone standards etc., but yeah, it certainly would help to make sure the fish is atleast cooked fully. But that didn’t seem to make a difference with Mad Cow disease. Didn’t that actually kill some people? I don’t remember. Any how, definately look into the Minomoto disease and the eating of dolphin meat, which is a huge industry in Japan. It has a similar link and feel to what this person here has wrote about the Pangasia.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:52 am
I am shocked by the idiocy of all the ones reporting about having eaten this fish 2 days ago and announcing happily that they are fine.
Really, there seem to be no words to express how utterly dumbfounfed I am by these people.
If you fry the fish, there are no bacteria left alive, and naturally you don’t get sick of it! BUT IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FUCKING BACTERIA, RETARDS! It’s about dangerous chemicals. They don’t make your tummies ache overnight, they just fuck up your bodies slowly and for the individual, unnoticably, but quite efficiently.
June 8th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
That’s some damn good fish! Can’t get enough. Hopefully I’ll be opening up a Pangasius fish farm soon. Good eaten. Best fish ever. Mmmmm Mmmm tasty.
June 8th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Oh Nick (June 2nd, 2010 at 4:19 pm) what a poser you are!
Why dont you just come out and declare your interest in spreading lies and falsehoods about basa?
You dont remember much do you? You use the phrase “I dont remember” three times in the one posting.
You are suspicious that two other posters work for Tesco, well I’m pretty suspicious who you work for and I think I know who
Surely no one would be naive enough to compare cows being fed cows to fish being fed fish?
You seem to know that cows dont naturally eat other cows but you dont know that fish eat other fish?
Gimme a break.
I had a skim through some of the comments on this post and am yet to see anyone post anything other than heresay. Where are the scientific reports? Where are the consumer warnings? They havent been posted because they dont exist and they dont exist because this is all a hoax.
What a load of BS. Basa has been eaten by millions of people worldwide but I havent seen any reports of mass poisonings? Have you?
Can you explain why Basa continues to meet strict food safety and quality compliance of every country it is exported to including the European Union, US, Canada, Australia etc?
This fear campaign relies on inherent racism in westerners to believe that because the fish comes from a non-western country then it must be poisonous.
“argh” June 3rd, 2010 at 8:52
I think you have had too many chemicals. HOW DOES BASA CONTINUALLY PASS FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY TESTS IN ALL THE COUNTRIES IT IS EXPORTED TO?!?!?!
Seriously people, do you believe spam emails you get in your inbox as well?
The whole thing is a scare campaign to get you to buy local product, even I can see that.
This scare campaign is a hoax, dirty tactics used by dirty people.
June 9th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
Ummm….references? sources?
I tried but couldnt find anything about this fish being dangerous other than on this and another blog…not one report.
You would think that if this blog posting were true that this fish wouldnt be passing food quality and safety inspections in all the countries that it is sold?
If there are no references or sources then this is just another internet hoax and dead in the water Im afraid. (no pun intented)
June 11th, 2010 at 11:05 am
if people would cook the fish completely, just like all fish this fish will make you ill if not heated correctly, this fish is sold world wide an under strick regulation…an for all the people in england lay of the curry an maybe you wont be on the crapper all day, an before you call me a dumb yank….im english born an bread…uk is eating crapp from india that would make the strongest of us have the shits….Andy glass
June 12th, 2010 at 5:14 am
What a lot of hype about some crazy rumor started by someone who obviously has too much time on his hands and too little brains to think of anything better to do.
Let’s try and be realistic now and do some thinking. Be sure to have your common sense with you now…
If it were true, there would have been hundreds of thousands of people who have eaten the fish. For the sake of argument, let’s say that 5% of those people who ate the fish got sick. Do you really think that if 5% of a few hundred thousand people got sick, there wouldn’t be a warning or at least some reaction from some government agency out there somewhere?
If just TEN PEOPLE get killed by pirates on a ship somewhere, the news of the incident stays on CNN’s headlines for the next few days. What more if THOUSANDS of people die or get sick, all of whom will say they ate the fish when they get interviewed at the hospital. Are you following me?
Now, if the fish was really the culprit, how come you won’t find any other reference to this incident except those blog articles that are virtually identical word for word to the one posted above? Try a Google search and you’ll see what I mean.
I refuse to believe that a group of scientists and environmentalists conducted separate studies on the matter and came up with the same results which is why THEY ALL HAVE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL REPORTS!
They all go about saying that:
Pangas are teeming with high levels of poisons and bacteria. industrial effluents, arsenic… etc etc
There’s nothing natural about Pangas… etc etc…
Pangas are Injected with Hormones Derived from Urine… etc etc…
ALL OF THEM…
It seems like only one logical conclusion can be drawn from this. This hype was started by an individual or group who had nothing better to do and was copied by other rumor mongers who just cut and pasted the whole thing onto their sites. Some had more articulate minds and added a paragraph or two, but the identical paragraphs were all present in all of those sites.
Now, if you don’t think that means something, I am not going to explain any further. It would be a futile attempt to try to talk sense into someone who refuses to believe in something he can see, but would rather believe some obscure, anonymous rumor monger.
I guess those are the kind of people who wear tinfoil on their heads so the aliens can’t read their minds and still believe that Elvis is still alive.
June 13th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
My local chippy serves this and I love it so this is why iv read about it today, he tells me no one has ever complained and I love it and never been ill
June 16th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
I just ate this fish for the second time this week. My son grilled it earlier this week-delish and we were all fine.It was a topic @ the dinner table that it was so good and only $3.98lb. I bought it this evening @ same price @ H E B gocery in San Antonio, TX. My son bought his @ another HEB here in San Antonio, also. I talked to the fishmonger @ the store about this “new” fish. We were all saying it was so great! After I prepared it, I sat down and as I was eating I googled the fish. To my surprise I came across this blog. WOW Lots of mixed opinions. A couple of things, no matter how clean you and your kitchen are if the fish was not good when you got it your efforts are null. The other thing, if this fish is high in mercury then it would be both the immediate and the cumulative effect to be concerned about. Right now I am fine. I want to do more research because I eat whole organic foods and I wouldn’t want to eat anything that is harmful.
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:44 am
I eat this all the time. I am 100% confident in this product. I believe there is a good chance that the French program/article was likely to have been slightly biased as the French have a fish industry that would be badly affected if people decided to start eating Panga as a sustainable alternative to endangered species.
As the most likely market for Panga would be those interested in helping the environment – the obvious weapon of choice is to trash its ‘wholefood’ credentials.
But to be honest if we stopped eating everything that was possibly bad for us there would be very little left to choose from.
In my experience if a food stuff is sub-standard that shows in its texture and taste. Panga is one of the highest quality fish proteins I have ever eaten based on cooking properties and taste and I am going to follow my nose on this one and keep eating it as often as I like – which is often.
July 4th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
This article is utter bollocks.
Find me a river or sea that isn’t polluted and I will buy you a pint, in fact, I’ll buy you a house on the moon.
As a chef in West Kirby I use pangassius. I fnd it to be a good flavoured fish wit a nice, soft texture. I have never been Ill after eating it and neither have any of my 500 plus a week customers!
To be told consistently in a British seaside town that you are serving the best fish and chips your customers have ever eaten tells me that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the product.
I would strongly suggest that the comments above from those who have been sick are due to mis-handling of the product, either by yourselves or your fishmonger.
As anyone who has a clue about raw ingredients will tell you, the supposed ‘poisinig’! effect of the fish wouldnot make you sick immediatly but have a cumulative effect on your system. A ten year old could see through the terrible science in this article.
As responsible, middle class people let’s continue to eat massively over-fished cod and haddock, contributing to the destruction to the eco-systems of the northern atlantic and causing irreperable environmental damage (whilst still ingesting heavy-metal pollutive poisining) And god forbid anyone on a lower income may wish to enjoy and benefit from having fish in their diet.
Also, let’s all congratulate ourselves in destroying a vital industry on Vietnemese river banks. Who do these people in the third-world think they are? trying to fund entire economies by daring to export food to us? The cheek!
I’ll break with the sarcasm for a moment By reminding that your (fish eats fish) = (cow eats cow) equation looks like the work of the poorest performing child in a first year special school class. Cows don’t eat cows in nature. Fish do eat fish. Even scavanger feedes eat dead fish matter. In short, you are a moron.
Keep eating pangasisus, it’s wonderful
Peace out
July 5th, 2010 at 10:50 pm
What a bunch of bull crap! Unbelievable that someone even dares to post such ignorance. It is utterly fantasy from one end to the other. You have no clue what is going on in Vietnam. They produce according to all possible standards, and are frequently inspected from US, EU and Russia – the largest export markets. The processing plants are pristine. One trace residue of antibiotics and export is closed down. They don;t want to kill their industry for that – 1 mill mt/yr.
This post is a propagandistic piece and shame to all the stupid lies being presented. I work in the veterinarian services and know exactly what I talk about.
July 6th, 2010 at 6:29 am
Hmmmm, Just bought this fish for the first time. It was available at a local supermarket here in Austria where we are staying. I like many others stumbled upon this while searching for a recipe. Going to give it a try seems like there is a lot more good comments than bad.
July 6th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
CTV news report
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051111/whistleblower_fish_20051122/20051122/
July 9th, 2010 at 9:51 am
You may comment about the vietmese river cobbler and farming methods when most of your fish that is farmed has an effect on the environment. i think river cobbler makes a good substitute for cod. we need to find altenatives to cod and haddock because of the demand at current catch rates if nothing is done then cod will be extinct. This is why we pay so much for cod and haddock because these fish are endangered. so we need to find alternatives.
You are on about hormones put in you fish then this will be the case for for salmon, trout and carp where the pitoritory gland had been taken out of the males and ground up and injected into the female fish. This has been done for decades.
Also you are on about the metals that are found in the river cobbler then maybe we should stop eating tuna because these are are full of toxins because tuna is a top predator in along with sharks. along with the three two other main types of catfish that are farmed clarias and the walking catfish. these fish are quite capable of living in extremly pour water quality and you will even find soil in there digestive systems because there ability to live in poor conditions and able to get nutrients from soil.i am sure that river cobbler is the same. Also if food in there natural environment is scarse could also be a factor on why river cobbler growth rates maybe slower in their natural environment.
July 9th, 2010 at 10:04 am
with the feed nearly all farmed fish are fed this way using trash fish in fish meal the feed companies are trying to find alternatives that is cheaper to produce from other sources such as soya and wheat. Extensive feed trials on farmed fish are being done all the time.but the difficulty is learning the feed requirements of newer farmed species such as river cobbler and putting oils such as omega3 which is essensical for fish growth and development from other sources.
we need to farm fish if the world is going to feed its population.because most seas are at critical levels because of over fishing.
if you wonder how i get my information for the last 3 years i have studied at Sparsholt College fihe husbandry and fishery management. i have done work with catfish whilst at college and got full grades
July 12th, 2010 at 1:55 am
I have been serving this fish in my restaurant for over 3 years, and not once has a customer complained of any illnesses. This fish is very mild and great tasting. I removed it from the menu about a year ago just to try some different fish and had to add it back less than 4 days later because of customer complaints. I live in the US, but the fish still comes from Vietnam…
July 12th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Why such a quandary over this issue? If it were bad food, perhaps, but with tainted food one must refuse it compeltely. You shouldn’t serve it to your chums nor to your children, so why pay for the dubious privilege of spending the evening in the loo?
Also consider that there are often rascals, such as Yakuza, involved in this kind of trade and seek to bind merchants with contracts to receive their tainted goods.
July 16th, 2010 at 6:57 am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
Please all should watch this
People that write these sorts of articles should be ashamed of themselves. Artcles like this only serve to scare people. What with the overfarming of some more popular fish species, i say if there is an alternative like river cobbler, then we should all be pursuaded into eating it so that the fish population of other species can catch up!
This sort of article makes me sick – dont stop eating perfectly good fish just because one nutter wants to scare everyone!!
And please, watch the watchdog link – and trust them more than you trust this article!!
July 18th, 2010 at 3:32 pm
Who wants to live forever, anyway? Eat the fish. It’s a versatile fish and quite good. Been eating it for several years with no adverse symptoms. Sold as Basa here in Texas, Basa is much safer and healthful for you than medical marijuana is. I don’t see any of the environuts complaining about medical marijuana?
July 18th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
bought farm raised striped pangasius vietnam..for the first time….fried it up…best tasting white fish i have tasted…no fishy taste or smell..goood
July 19th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
i like the way tesco ‘creates’ the market by giving the fish a name that would be more appropriately asigned to a fish found swiming in a local river! a little cheeky! i cant discern wether this fish is dangerous or not as i have no lab equipment to give a true analysis. just to say-my girlfriend has spent 45 mins making fishcakes and the actual fish bought from tesco smells vile! so im not going to take the chance! also id like to note that a percentage of the ‘for’ comments seem to be either professionally scripted or written by the same defensive personality…? just an observation. if at all in doubt-dont risk your heath for the sake of a couple of pounds! i hope the find some happiness spending the night in my dustbin next to the contents of the rabbit hutch! )
July 19th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
i like the john chew comment who says compares this fishy issue to that of aspartame(declined by the FDA for 20 years until the guy that owned the company(rumsfelt)gave his mate the top kob at the FDA!)..clearly aspartame is a neurotoxin and tesco are more than happy to put that on your plate in all its disguised flavoring and colouring forms(why would they hide something so delicious and non brain poisoning?) …youd have to be naive to think that just because they sell it to you that it must be safe-
July 25th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
oh my god, last lunch yesterday I eat this fish on lunch from my company local cafeteria, at the same time evening I got red skin between my legs and my sensitive area under belt with extreme feeling to bite my skin.
It reaches my hand by today morning and head.
I’m going medical for approval of this by today
July 29th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
World Health Organization. HEEEEEEEEELPPPPPP
Where are you. If this is true We really need to put a BIG STOP to this I have eat for 2 years now this fish. Never new the history behind this fish. We need healthy food NO poision cheap food that slowly kills people. So world wide this has to be send to avoid this slow poison fish to kill inocent People. Curacao the Caribbean
Erkabe
July 30th, 2010 at 2:30 am
I had this fish from tesco twice.Both times i was sick.The first time I felt really weak like i was going to get the flu then about 4 hours after eating it i was sick.I didn’t think it was the fish that caused it untill the second time i ate it exactly the same thing happened.Had to be the fish.I won’t be buying tesco fish again.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:21 pm
I got some of this fish yesterday and i’m going to have it for my tea later.
Looking at some of the posts on here you might ask me if i’m worried well the answere is no.
This topic goes back to 2008 and reminds me of people giving up beef because of BSE when in reality by the time it hit the press if it was going to do damage it was already done.
Yes that story needed to come out but to tighten regulations.
So i will eat mine and let you know if i get any bad effects.
Just like i still eat eggs no thanks to Edwina Currie
July 31st, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Tried this tonight for the first time – all i can say is that it was lovely, lightly seasoned and oiled, baked for 25 mins. My only upset is having found out that cobbler is pangasius, i used to keep pangasius cats in my aquarium LOL
August 3rd, 2010 at 2:11 am
I worked in a relatively senior posiiton in the seafood industry in Europe and can tell you that this rumour was started by the European and US seafood industry to scare consumers from eating the cheaper imported product in the hope they would purchase the more expensive locally caught (and more expensive) product.
Over the past 10 years US and European seafood industries have lost considerable market share to imports of high quality, cheap Basa fillets.
This hoax was a dirty tactic to turn people off of Basa. I’m surprised how many people believe what they read without any substantiation whatsoever.
August 3rd, 2010 at 8:34 am
some weird stuff here. i never heard of the fish so i googled it to see what i had bought. a couple of goof balls said it was the same a sole. baloney. sole is a salt water flatfish like flounder and supposedly the pangasius is a type of fresh water catyfish. anyway i bought it at H.E.B. my favorite store wher ityrust their food totally. so i shall broil it the same as regular catfish fillets. lots of butter and garlic. because i think farm raised fish lack total flavor but stupidly we have fished the oceans out. and i was part of the problem as i started my work life as a new england fisherman.
August 4th, 2010 at 6:34 am
[...] which is probably pleasing to simpler palettes than say, fresh mackerel. There are also some fairly shocking media reports about this fish that emanate from France which include hypodermic needles and the Mekong River, the [...]
August 4th, 2010 at 9:38 am
I just bought some at the local store, wanted to look up a great way to cook it and HELL NO am I going to feed this to my son and myself. I am taking it back this morning. Thank you for publishing this information. I would rather spend more and get something that I know is safe to feed my family.
August 4th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
What a load of rubbish this review is. The fish is delicious with a sauce made with white wine, cream and fish stock.
It has a rich fleshy texture and is tastier than cod.
I will be buying the entire stock from Tescos if you scare-mongering misanthrops won’t have it.
August 5th, 2010 at 6:59 am
I bought couple of pre-packed filets of River Cobbler at Tesco yesterday, attracted by the £2 price tag (as opposed to circa £5 for cod). Prepared some in my slow cooker last night on a bed of onions fried in olive oil, with white wine, butter, chopped capers and coriander. Served with mash and peas.
Delicious!
I agree with many others here, in that if we were to examine everything we buy too closely and with a critical eye, objecting to this and that, then we’d be hard-pushed to find ANYTHING acceptable to eat or drink. So until such a time that I’m living win the wilds of Alaska with little more than a fishing rod and a vegetable garden to sustain me, I, for one, will be happy enough to buy River Cobbler again.
And remember, people – uncooked fish should have virtually no smell to it. If you open any packet of fish and it smells off to you (some people have mentioned an ammonia or chemical smell) then that’s because it IS off! Yes, you may have only bought it that same day, yes, you may have popped it straight in the fridge or freezer when you got home. Yes, you may have cooked it thoroughly. IT’S STILL OFF! With the best will in the world, these things happen sometimes.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
I am a fishmonger at my local Asda Walmart store here in the UK and have regularly had to tell customers about the River Cobbler/Basa that we sell on our fresh fish counter – it’s farmed over in Vietnam, but it is NOT farmed IN the Meikong River but in quality controlled farms away from it. All fish are checked and reach not just Asda’s safety requirements but also all correct UK/EU etc regulations. I regularly eat both the plain and smoked cobbler fillets and have a delicate stomach yet have NEVERsuffered any ill effects, and do not know of one single person – friends or customer – that has either!
River Cobbler is a safe and tasty fish, as well as being cheaper than most other white fish, the fillets are convenient as they’re skinless and boneless. Even Watchdog, the tv consumer programme, have had Cobbler from Asda tested and found absolutely nothing wrong with it.
So like the other sencible people above have said – eat up, its great and poses NO hazards!
(by the way , an ammonia smell on some fish doesnt always mean its ‘off’ – Ray Wings/Skate are known to have a feint ammonia smell to them and its natural to teh fish… just rinse it in water b4 cooking and its fine)
Enjoy!
August 6th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Thanks, Bob, I stand corrected on the Skate.
As regards the River Cobbler, though, I can’t help but think that those few here reporting stomach upsets might have simply eaten some off fish (even though they may well have done everything right in terms of storage and cooking once they’d bought it). After all, the overwhelming majority seems to have had no problem at all.
Had my second filet for dinner tonight, incidentally. Feeling fine and dandy!
August 6th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Just found this page on food poisoning from fish (ANY fish!) which seems to back up my theory.
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/firstaid/basics/816.html
The symptoms for scombroid poisoning sound VERY similar to those a few people have described here.
Crucially, the page says:
“A substance called histamine builds up in some fish when they get too warm after they’re caught. Histamine is a chemical that serves as a kind of alarm to let your immune system know that an infection is attacking part of the body. If you eat a fish that was not properly cooled after it was caught, you may react to the histamine that is released into your body.”
Bingo! Mystery solved?
August 7th, 2010 at 4:10 am
Our Chef Instructor showed us this information and I just want to clarify if the ‘basa fish’ or ‘catfish’ or whatever you call it, from Vietnam is still not safe. Is it? Here in the Philippines they call it ‘cream dory’ (same thing right?) and I don’t know if it’s safe or not beacuse I’m also not sure if they’re farmed here or Vietnam. Please email me because not only does family love eating this kind of fish but friends and poeple around the country buy and eat them too.
Thank you
August 10th, 2010 at 4:34 am
Scaremongers! Urban Legend! Just like all the fuss over Febreeze when it first arrived, dead pets, parrots dropping from their purches and yet it was all rubbish, just like this…. The internet is full of hoaxes, scaremongery and nonsense…. Why dont you all find something better to do with your time!
August 11th, 2010 at 5:11 am
To all worrying people.
Hi! I am Luong Phan Van; I am a Vietnamese; I am a salesman of Pangasius Hypophthalmus. My nationality and my job is not why I am writing this comment. I plan to set up my own business in other fields, still, overreaction from hasty conclusions gets me typing. I would like to take this chance to give all some facts on the safety of the fish.
Pangasius started to be farmed in Vietnam in 1960s, vastly farmed for export since 1994. The exports have been increasing year on year. In 2009 farmed Pangaius were about 1.006 million tons. 607.665 tons exported to 133 markets, mainly European countries. At present, Vietnam accounts for 99.99% Pangasius Hypophthalmus in the world export market.
I agree that some farms do not look very nice. But these numbers were very small and not harmful to our health. If they are all that dirty, poisonous then most of people here in Vietnam and many in 133 imported markets would be seriously ill as they have eaten up 1.006 million tons of Pangasius. Health Authorities could never allow dangerous fish circulation for years. Consummers should know that only qualified factories are allowed to export. Before loading, goods have to be inspected to make sure no bacteria or toxic. Before circulation, Goods are inspected again by imported countries. Before being displayed on shelf, fish may be tested by retailers.
What’s more important is Vietnam authorities are tightening the quality control and farmers are doing better and applying Vietgap, Global GAP … for their farms. As a result, bad ponds are being replaced by better ones.
Farmers are doing well, factories are proved, health authorities say “ok”. So, I’d rather save more time to enjoy life than check out if everyone has as an allergy to Pangasius.
Have fun everyone!
August 11th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
It depends on the farm you re visiting, some of them are stricly taking care of their fishes. These fishes are soo great, taste so delicious as well. even when you said that it contaminated (probably just the water) doesnt mean it poisonous. i believed such catfish live in a river which the water not that clean or even contain with lots of bacteria which it so natural i believe.
The Injection on the picture ,in my opinion is just a female panga which will make eggs , they need to inject with such hormon to stimulate the eggs.
i think every european country have their own standard certificate for importing such goods. so dont be worry.. eat it while it fresh
August 11th, 2010 at 11:38 pm
Ive eaten this for 2 years now and ive eaten both grown from the philippines and vietnam. I have this often like 5 days a month.
All i can say is that the cream dory is very salable, cheap, affordable and may be affecting the sales of other fish varieties.
So i wont be suprised if the other fish industries would produce articles like this to discredit the cream dory.
August 15th, 2010 at 8:33 am
I’m sure the article has SOMEWHAT exaggerated, with bits of truth sprinkled in. However, the reason I came upon this in the first place is because a health inspection report of a local restaurant reported that they were selling striped pangasius and calling it ‘cod’. So, be wary when you’re buying cod in a restaurant and make sure you’re actually getting COD – not a catfish. I love catfish – but I KNOW when I’m ordering it and not being lied to.
August 16th, 2010 at 9:29 am
I’ve been eating this fish for 5yrs twice a week. I discovered this article via my butcher. I agree that the article is somewhat exaggerated. There are many things we buy that have questionable processing. (like they don’t inject beef & chicken with all kinds of things) I live in the US and we hope our FDA monitors all our food imported or not. I’m 55 and absolutely no health problems, so you would think if the fish was dangerous I would have some kind of ill effects by now??
August 20th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
the fact that this is still recieving additional comments proves that this page has done its job
tesco is far to big a company to risk poisoning everyone, if this is right, they would have had more that one law suit against them by now
personally its all a load of cobblers!!!!!
THE ANGELS HAVE THE PHONE BOX
August 22nd, 2010 at 5:30 pm
I have just recently returned from a holiday in France where we had this fish, 11 of us in total. it was totally delicous and no one was sick. I came across this site as i was trying to find out where i could buy it in Ireland and now i know that tesco stock it i will be buying it. I agree that the EU has very strict protocol about food coming in and have no problem eating this fish
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:42 am
Hello everybody, I want to now if is true or not if is toxic this fish, because I eating from a long time and I never feel sick.I like this fish very much.
August 24th, 2010 at 2:30 am
Its a hoax.
August 24th, 2010 at 6:31 am
This is an extremely damaging article and full of rubbish. Fried panga in breadcrumbs is delicious with salad and cooked other ways. Wholesale fishmongers and the large supermarkets who all stock it in England and France, and obviously elsewhere, always thoroughly check the origin and production of their fish products. You are hugely wrong to write this unsupported untrue information.
August 25th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
What a load of utter cobblers!
I’ve bought this fish from Tesco and eaten it many times and never felt sick or even remotely ill. I’m sorry but this article is scaremongering at it’s highest.
Sensationalist rubbish!!!!
For shame dietmindspirit.org
August 26th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
its a non sense comments about the fish
August 27th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
What a load of drivel. Fish are carnivores, so do eat fish naturally. Polluted fish do not thrive, certainly not well enough to feed the numbers that are eating this fish. Millions of people have been ill as a result of eating something or other, but never as a result of eating a particular species. I believe this has been started by a competitor, and, continued because of the usual hysteria from suggestible people in desperate need of attention. Nobody could be totally certain what it was that made them ill unless they ate absolutely nothing else for a few days. On the other hand, tell several people that lettuce can be toxic, and I guarantee one or two of them will claim to have become ill as a result of eating it. This is a delicious fish, which reminds me slightly of monkfish in flavour, and is eaten by millions. I believe that like many other strange looking fish before it, it will become very very popular because of its flavour, then there will be less of it, and it will become expensive. On the other hand, if the pillocks keep on whinging, it may not happen, and the rest of us can enjoy delicious and inexpensive fish. I most certainly will.
August 27th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
As an ex fishmonger who used to buy fish directly and personally from the fish market at Brixham in Devon England, I know that most fish live off dead fish in the sea. Mackerel,Pollock,and South Devon’s favourites, Crab and Lobster amongst many others. Do you realise that the only way to catch Crab and Lobster is to bait the pots with the smelliest decomposing fish available. If this were not true then after millions of years of fish dying in the sea the build up would clog the oceans of the world. The analogy of Mad Cow Disease is utterly stupid. I also know that the food standard agencies of all European Countries would not allow contaminated food, fish or otherwise to be sold. What possible reason would they have to allow it to happen, to make Tesco’s richer? If a half of one per cent of consumers got I’ll eating this or any other food the death toll would be worse than the floods in Pakistan. Come on folks this is a load of cobblers. Pun intended.
August 27th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Just to add to my earlier posting, many of the fish we all enjoy are becoming more scarce and are on the endangered species lists. Check this out and be grateful that there is an alternative. The fishing industry is in grave danger if we keep fishing for our home grown fish. If stocks are allowed to get any lower we wont have any fish at all.
August 28th, 2010 at 5:11 am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
If people get carried away about micro issues like this then focus is taken off the bigger macro issues that Mike has summarised far more eloquently than I could.
August 28th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Cut the Crap!
in Germany this fish has been selling for over years for 3,99€/kg. I have been eating them for over 6 years. NOTHING sick happened on me!! if the fish is poisonous, why wouldn’t the food administration cut the import? why should you know more than the labs and experts?
August 31st, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Hahaha… Thats some kinda scam, I’m almost sure that documentary was made by some (can’t use this word in public) from greenpeace or peta. That fish was ok for my dinner. And not once, but hell loads of times. And on the pack it says ‘MADE IN VIETNAM’. If you people don’t know how to prepare it, and if you are eating it half raw, so I do believe that your stomaches hurts and you get sick and so on. whatever, it’s a free world, and you can feel free to make your choice. By the way – did you ever saw chickens to grow in couple week time somewhere in nature? But those in TESCO are only couple week old. think before you talk. Thank you for your time.
September 3rd, 2010 at 8:09 am
One of the tastiest fish I’ve tasted. Has a nice eggy taste to it which I enjoy. It’s unfortunate that I’ve stumbled on this website as I’ll now cut back a bit. I don’t want to risk my health.
September 6th, 2010 at 9:07 am
stupid article
September 6th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
I’m just surprised at how many ppl took this all invented article seriously!
As if Europeans regulations and laws we’re inexistant!
If 1/6th of this bs was true that fish woul’d be banned in all developed countries,
it’s been around since 1996 so i don’t see any of theses nightmares happening.
September 7th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
I just found out about this fish this year. I live in Texas. I have bought it a couple times in large amounts to fry for myself, my four small children, my fiance, neighbors, and friends. We have never had a problem or even a stomach ache. I just happend to run across this article as I was referring this fish to my parents and wanted to get my facts straight about where it was from.This article is very scary, and will probably turn allot of people away from this fish, but in actuality I think allot of the people that got sick were from other reasons and placed blame on the fish, maybe not cooked correctly, or maybe this Tesco place is not storing or caring for the fish correctly. There could be a variety of reasons. i don’t plan on stopping eating this fish, or preparing it for friends, neighbors, and even my children. I agree with Luon Phan van about our strict regulations and monitoring of products coming into the country. But we as people always try to find a reason for everything, and some people just try to find the simplest one they can.
September 7th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Had some last night, it’s ok. We are in Canada. If it gives them jobs, why not!
September 10th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Hahahahahaha thats what you get for being greedy!!! Never buy anything from Vietnamese, Taiwan and such, what are you people stupid ? You really think that they care about you or those animals ? Stop dreaming and grasp reality its all about money, money and more money, what about those workers? You may condemn them, but they are just trying to survive its all because you idiots want full bellies for the lowest amount of money so you can buy some crappy ass clothing or good for nothing golden rings!!! I would rather have high quality food then some crappy clothes, new TV, car…you pay attention what gas you buy, but you dont care what you put inside of yourself oh and when you will have cheap excusses of type ” I dont have enough money, I need to save it” to hell with you, so you wont buy your crappy new watch and instead buy your kids some high quality normal non genetic food it doesnt have more price than those crappy ones, otherwise in the end your kids would end as disease walking corpses near death. Been there done that.
September 12th, 2010 at 10:35 am
i bought the fish too, 1 kg frozen fish costs only 2,50€ (Ülemiste keskus, Tallinn, Estonia)
Fish is very tasty and stommak is full:) i don’t think it’s harmful, because i saw frankfurters for sale that contains 10% of meet, how about that product.
September 14th, 2010 at 8:26 am
I’m eating some Pangas as I read this, bought from the fresh fish counter in ASDA. It is rather nice, as rohan said has an eggy flavour. I guess people who expect all fish to taste like Cod may interpret this as an ‘off’ or ‘unusual’ or ‘chemically’ taste. As far as I am concerned though it’s really tasty, not the strongest of flavours, benefits from a bit of seasoning.
People jump to conclusions about foreign and unusual foods. If a small number of people get ill after eating some british beef or danish bacon (which is probably entirely circumstantial) they pass it off as random. However some people if they eat something vietnamese will feel the need to ALERT THE INTERNET. Hence all the stories of illness. People will say things like ‘it happened both times I ate it so it can’t be a coincidence’. Um, actually in a world with several million English speaking people, the chances of a few of those people getting ill twice in a row just by chance the day they eat a certain food is actually quite high!
September 19th, 2010 at 4:07 am
This is a great fish & my partner & I both love it, unfortunately he can’t eat it as he has a violent reaction precisely 4 hours later. We have tried it 3 times now (once inadvertently!) & it’s always the same. Not being as daft as some on this thread we’ve realised he has an allergic reaction (possibly to all catfish but he doesn’t want to experiment!)
The point I want to make is that if you do get this reaction be very careful with battered frozen fish & read your labels. Youngs sell this fish but it is not prominently labelled you have to read the ingredients then follow the little clues they give you to the letter after the best before date & there it is ‘B’ for basa. Had we realised they do this we’d have been more careful but are certainly on our guard now.
September 19th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
hello all, i am a AMERICAN.living and fish farming in the PHILIPPINES. my main focus is pangasius, the fish is a great product. the fish can be sold as any thing, because the thick white meat is wonderful. all fresh water fish except tilapia use a releasing hormone,because fish in captivity will not spawn. go pangasius
September 23rd, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Got this fish from tesco today and ate it this evening, it was very good. I am Spanish and find quite difficult to buy quality fish in the UK, not so many species are on sale here as in Spain.
As I didn’t know the translation for this fish had a look on the internet and I am quite surprised to find all this scary comments and nonsense.
I agree with some people about the unsustainability of the fishing industry, so I think it is great that there is a cheap alternative produced in farms so it doesn’t damage other species habitats.
Has anybody seen the documentary about cocodriles turning to rubber because they are eating contaminated catfish??? Is that the next scare thing about pangas now???
maybe some people’s brains are already rubbery…
September 27th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
People need to get real.Anything to do with ‘Vietnam’ puts them off,they still think a war is going on there. We had a superb holiday in Vietnam last November, the people and the food are great. They are a fast developing nation catching up, and exporting all sorts of foods incl Coffee. I think this is a scam too, we have to trust the supermarkets like Tesco and Asda otherwise we will be put off many other foods. Why are so many people obese these days, are they eating wrong food too !!!
September 30th, 2010 at 6:33 am
You are welcome to Vietnam. You can see how that fish grow and process before export to your country. That is a very good fish. Good for your health. Its taste is delicious.
October 1st, 2010 at 6:35 am
Hello, I eat Pangas just three years, and the only problem I met is I am now three years older. I buy the Pangas (frozen) in MAKRO store and never heard about problems. Pls consult hoax dot com, whether to trust the spam informations. Go pangasius!
October 1st, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Hello i’m from saudi arabia i find this fish pangasius tasty clean flish me and my family have eaten several times. our health great nothing wrong with this fish at all and will keep buying.
October 3rd, 2010 at 3:28 pm
http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/scienceandeducation/publications/surveyofchemicalresi3107.cfm
Executive Summary
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) was the lead agency for a national coordinated survey of Chemical Residues in Aquacultured Fish. The survey’s aim was to determine if residues of antimicrobials and other substances are present in both local and imported aquaculture product. Prior to the survey there had been reports from overseas regulators of unapproved antimicrobials being found in aquacultured fish.
All Australian States and Territories participated in this national survey and a total of 60 samples of local and imported aquacultured finfish were sampled from across Australia. Samples were collected from late April until early June 2005.
The analysis of samples has been completed for a range of over 50 substances and their metabolites including; nitrofurans, chloramphenicol, sulphonamides, tetracyclines, malachite green, penicillins, macrolides, trimethoprim, quinolones and PCBs.
Overall, the results were very good with no detections for 54 of the 56 chemicals tested for. However, trace levels of malachite green and leucomalachite green were detected in 10 samples; 3 fish grown in Australia and 7 Basa fish samples imported from Vietnam. The residues were at low levels ie all less than 0.14 mg/kg. The 3 positives out of 14 (21%) in domestically farmed fish were 1 Rainbow Trout sample produced in NSW and 2 Silver Perch samples produced in NSW and WA. The 7 positives out of 46 (15%) in imported fish were all Basa from Vietnam, which equates to a 39% non-compliance rate from this country.
In accordance with the agreed protocol for national surveys, the results from the survey were discussed at the Food Surveillance Network (the Network) meeting on 2 August 2005 where a number of actions were agreed by jurisdictions.
* Jurisdictions (Home States) with positive samples discussed their follow up actions to ensure as consistent an approach as possible. In those States or Territories where malachite green residues were detected in domestically farmed fish, further investigations have been conducted to determine the scope of malachite green usage in the industry, including taking additional samples.
* Full sampling details were provided to the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) who provided advice back to the Network on regulatory options at the border. As of 26 September 2005, AQIS initiated random testing for malachite green in imported aquacultured fish http://www.aqis.gov.au/foodimport .
* FSANZ prepared a risk assessment incorporating a dietary exposure assessment and toxicology assessment. The risk assessment conducted by FSANZ concluded that the public health risk associated with low residues of malachite green chloride and leucomalachite green in aquacultured fish is very low.
This coordinated national survey identified a compliance issue with the presence of malachite / leucomalachite green being detected in both domestic and imported fish. The findings do not appear to raise public health and safety concerns and are being managed in an appropriate and timely manner.
October 4th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
Hi
Simple – flour, egg wash , breadcrumb then fry – result – very tasty fish. Been eating this for years never had a problem so all this crap about diseases, mercury etc is total hearsay. My advise forget about endangered cod – eat river cobbler !!
October 9th, 2010 at 6:36 am
i have this fish a number of times in my office canteen and can honestly say it is a lovely fish to eat. creamy and light without any bones, it makes a delightful meal for those who want to save stocks of cod /haddock etc.
i have not had any adverse experience with it and look forward to eating it again.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:05 am
I googled river cobbler and came across various scaremongering pages such as this. However, I also found this one
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
After much testing, Watchdog found NONE OF THE CONTAMINANTS MENTIONED BY THESE PAGES. Besides, do you think that supermarkets sell fish such as this without doing these tests themselves? I doubt it very much. No-one is going to sell poisoned products, especially multimillion pound supermarket chains with an army of scientists and lab testing at their disposal.
I think River Cobbler is a beautiful fish, meaty and tasty, and refuse to be put off by sites such as this one.
October 10th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
I think people who totally believe in the article is silly.
I’d just fed by family with this fish and had been doing that for two years. I came across this website because I was trying to find out if there is much mercury in Pangasius.
people who felt sick because of eating this fish is maybe 1)allergy to it, 2)didn’t cook the fish properly, 3)the fish was contaminated because of poor handling.
And if you really want a very SAFE food, then just go organic. Just that simple!
October 15th, 2010 at 5:24 am
I had this fish for the first time last week and I think it’s bashed my immune system tremedously. I had food poisoning one night so bad I was hospitalised but have felt nauseous for 2 weeks now, not knowing why.
On reading this I realise it’s since I started having this fish.
Am not touching it again.
October 16th, 2010 at 4:22 am
I have a very very delicate digestive system, so much so that I have stopped eating alot of foods.
Smoked basa fillets play’s a big part of my diet & I can tell you I have never felt better!!
The fish is beautiful if cooked PROPERLY.
Don’t even mention sausages, burgers…YUK….those are more likely to upset your stomach than Basa.
October 19th, 2010 at 3:18 am
When I read the sort of wild statements being thrown around here and believed without one iota of proof, I begin to understand how women could have been burned as witches and young virgins were sacrificed to the gods.
I worked in the food industry for over 30 years, many of them in companies that imported into the UK and other European Union countries. On arrival in the EU, every shipment had EU food scientists and analysts swarming all over it, testing for any possible reasons to condemn it or charge import duty. A small mistake in the ingredients list was enough to do it. The same goes for Australia and the US too.
In addition, I see lots of posts condemning Tesco and accusing them of selling rubbish just to make big profits. When I was Technical Director of a food company in South Africa, we wanted to do business with Tesco UK. They sent an army of food scientists, microbiologists and quality assurance staff to examine everything from raw materials to finished products, to produce a list of requirements for the company to be an approved Tesco supplier. We had to spend a lot of time and money and put staff into training courses because Tesco standards were so high. They even took samples of the anti-bacterial soap and measured the temperature of the water that the workers touching food washed their hands with. I think it is very sad that so many people are so ready to believe almost every negative thing they read on the internet.
October 21st, 2010 at 10:42 am
i work at tesco in newcastle and i have ate this fish a dozen times smoked river cobler, my wife and 1 year old son enjoy it and we have never ever been ill so far, neither any of my customers either. these people have been given off fish, havent stored it properly in right temperature or just cooked it wrong all together,i agree with tc’s comment go organic if unsure
October 23rd, 2010 at 10:08 am
I bought some River Cobbler at Tesco’s last week – it looked good for the money I brought it home and then began to worry. Looked it up and came across this website. Somehow I got onto the following website:
http://www.vmd.gov.uk/vrc/Reports/Brand_naming_report_2009.pdf
A scientific report that implies that River Cobbler may have malachite green and/or leucomalachite green in it, a dye that is used as an anti-parasite treatment. The permitted level is 2ug/kg in the EU and in tests done no River Cobbler samples came above that level.
It maybe though that some people are more allergic to this than others.
I’m not going to eat mine – at least not at the moment as I’ve just had a long term bad stomach but when I’m feeling better I may give it a try
October 25th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Having read all the above posts, and having been eating this fish -bought frozen and kept at the correct temperature in our freezer for many years – I can only say that neither myself, my wife, who incidentally has a somewhat delicate stomach, together with my young son HAVE NEVER encountered any ill effects` What a load of CODS! ALL HAKE AND TROUT MAYBE? SALMON – ELLA PERHAPS? PERHAPS THIS SCAREMONGERING AUTHOR NEEDS TO TUNA DE BASS (TUNE THE BASE ). Now time to have a long session on why nothing tastes the same any more! I`m still searching for the ` sausage of yesteryear` – made with real meat, not offal. A load of nonsensical ` crab ` ( crap ) – one could say! – But we, the buying public, are merely ` prawns ` ( pawns ) in an ever changing market. Tesco, nor the others care about us. Enjoy people – also try the Tesco prepared Sushi – very good, and guaranteed NOT to kill you!
November 5th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
I have been putting it on the table at my restaurant for three years and my clients love it. Never a complaint! No illness!
I have one regular guest who will order it three times a week – personally I find any dish that frequent to be boring.
Paranoia about Basa can be tracked back to the local fishing industry and the hysteria of the media (never let the truth get in the way of a good story) and the fringe groups who just need a cause, any cause….
November 6th, 2010 at 5:09 am
Well, I buy this fish in Egypt regularly for years and my mom buys the same (even if called differently) in Europe. I eat it with my husband and kids, never got sick before none of us. I think this “report” is at least highly exaggerated and only cause panic. Besides, today unfortunately most of streams, rivers, seas and fish farms are incredibly dirty, most of cattle and poultry is fed antibiotics and unnatural stuff and many of veggies and fruit are genetically modified and all packed foods are full of chemicals, colors and I don’t know what kind of poison. So… what do you want to eat especially when you’re from the 95% percent who feels lucky they have enough money to feed their family with something?
November 6th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
We have had panga from our local supermarket here in Spain several times – tried it because it was cheap – it’s yummy and neither my husband nor I ever had any ill effects. In fact, we are having it again tonight. Stick to fishmongering not scaremongering!
November 8th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
I had this fish on Friday night and 30 minutes later my face broke out in hives and I had a hard time breathing I took 2 benidryl and it got better I have never had allergies with any food they are calling it swai here in U.S. not going to try again.
November 9th, 2010 at 9:16 am
I suppose this is the Asian equivalent to giving farmed Salmon in Scotland hormones.
If the country is poor or very hot, I can imagine the conditions could make bacteria grow in the fish so I will be avoiding fish from these areas.
Question is how can you be sure of supermarkets labeling correctly?
November 11th, 2010 at 7:27 am
I suggest if people really want to know the truth about Basa, the should refer to the scientific literature.
A 2008 study into the safety of Basa suggested “the quality of the samples analysed was good, with low residue levels of mercury, organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls.” (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.02.014)
A 2009 paper also reported “Contaminant concentrations in farmed shrimp, pangasius, and tilapia were lower than those in wild fish, whereas contaminant concentrations in farmed salmon and trout were higher than those in lean wild marine fish. From the five species investigated, salmon is predominantly responsible (97%) for human exposure to the sum of the investigated contaminants. The contribution of trout, tilapia, pangasius, and shrimp is small (3%) because contaminant concentrations and consumption volumes were much lower.” (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=19569323&dopt=abstractplus)
However, caution should be observed when cooking the fish, as with other river dwelling cat fish (such as those farmed in the US) salmonela bacteria is detectable (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2008.12.003)
I hope this helps put some of your minds to rest. I don’t know where some people get their information from or why they choose to try and scare people unnecessarily.
(Perhaps they have ulterior motives!)
PS: I am a cancer scientist and in no way related to the fishing industry
November 13th, 2010 at 5:27 am
Who wrote this article? Why should I believe some article penned by some ghost writer that does not even have the balls to leave his/her name? Are you afraid that I will check on your credentials? F’ng right I will to confirm that you know what you’re talking about and that your facts are straight. Otherwise you are just another anti-asia-metic A-hole with a swastika up your butt. Grow some balls or shut the F up. In attempts to confirm you “claims” I find little else on the web to support your ramblings. Did you read what that ‘scientist’ posted? I’m with him, he at the very least writes very well of facts and has it right, you are a fear monger. I myself am an Mechanical Engineer, Auto Mechanic and a HVAC Technician, I bet I spent far more time in school than you. Got get a real job and stop wasting peoples time with your BS propaganda and filling the web with crap.
November 14th, 2010 at 9:19 am
give me a break. I ate it several times, and it was very good. I had no health problems.
I might be jumping in over my head, here, but I do get a sneaking suspicion that this fish gets so much bad publicity because it comes from vietnam, instead of the developed countries, and because it is sold very cheaply, and heaven forbid their economy grows faster than the EU.
I mean, I guess ocean fish is definitely not as polluted, I’ll agree with that, but, on the other hand, all the fruit and vegetables, not to mention chicken and the rest of industrially-grown animals in Europe are poisonous! Oranges, Apples, Tomatoes, everything is injected with chemicals, and grown in chemicals, and I don’t know about now, but I do remember several years ago reading cows are being fed food bullets made of dead fish, as well..so..
November 14th, 2010 at 9:23 am
P.S.
The people who actually had bad “reactions” to this fish..maybe it was just rotten. Fish decays faster than any other meat, so it’s enough for it to be not kept properly for a few hours, and you’ll get food poisoning, as you would from any other type of fish.
And the thing about it carrying bacteria…again, that applies to most fish and meat products. That’s why you’re supposed to cook it properly.
November 15th, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I am afraid this article was written with obsolete datas and politically tainted intentions; in fact all recent datas show that the farming industry from Vietnam meets and surpass EU farming standards and is well accepted by countries from the continent such as Spain,Scotland,England and so one;the only resistance left is from the fish farming countries like the Nederland that can’t compete with the low price range from Asia.
I am from Canada and eat Pangasius produced in Vietnam since 5 years,outstanding product! Chapeau Vietnam!It’s actually one of the products that help Vietnam to come out of the economic starvation left by the years of marxism following the war.
November 17th, 2010 at 7:33 am
i am from Indonesia, and i cooked this fish (dory fish) every day, (2-5 times a day). it contains a good nutrition, ex. protein, DHA, EPA, Omega3 ect.
and yet, i don’t get ill easily. and i dont believe with this note, because i experienced it myself, and i’m okay till now…i have consume it for 5 days, and everyday i can consume it 400-1000gr of dory fish.
I think, this is just what we call a “market COMPETITION”.
and maybe (just guessing, no offense), the one who replies all the “ILL problem after consuming dory” were just the competitor that dislike the DORY market.
thanks, thats was my opinion.
GO INDONESIA !
November 20th, 2010 at 1:18 am
My family has been having this fish for years, there have never been any issues with health what so ever.
I think if u look into how other fish are bread, you might come across something similar
November 21st, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Just had some of this fish for tea, and quite frankly, it was nothing to get excited about.
That is the only reason i will not buy it again.
November 21st, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Well i had this fish and i seem to be fine but will definatly not eat it agai after what ive just read!
November 22nd, 2010 at 1:45 am
[...] this frozen fish called Pangas ? (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) http://www.dietmindspirit.org/2008/01/30/why-you-shouldnt-eat-this-fish-pangas-pangasius-vietnamese-… [...]
November 25th, 2010 at 8:36 am
Have been eating it, and enjoying it for years from Asda, Sainsbury (under a different name) and Tesco and am still here to tell the tale. Anyone who has eaten and enjoyed it is a fool to stop doing so at the behest of unsubstantiated gossip on websites. If you are really concerned – contact the retailer and ask for more information.
November 25th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
I think this fish is being farmed to make billions of money at all costs. It is a mass production and was carefully planning to succeed. I am from Brazil and have travelled to many different countries. I do believe rivers in Vietnam are polluted and that the environmental laws are far from being enforced in order to protect rivers from heavy pollution. Poor countries are just not serious enough to apply and comply with any international health and safety standards just because they are not used to it. In order to participate in this food mass production chain, they will say anything and will write any regulations just to convince internationals investors. I believe this fish is harmful. And there are very powerful people making a lot of money from it. And that the press is biased.
November 26th, 2010 at 1:58 am
I eat basa (in Australia we call it) at least 3 times a week….just love it. Never had a problem.The reason I checked these site cos I was looking what fish I can have being pregnant.
November 29th, 2010 at 6:10 am
Hi all.
I am working with fishes for many years. When somebody in the EU buy this product they has to do a lot of tests. They has to check the metal content, poisons, bacteria, glazing level etc. It happens by the veterinary at the EU border first, and in lot of countries has a second test by the local veterinary. Also there was a lot of check by the local authority in each country in the shops. This is the regular way to sell fishes to the EU. If something is wrong, the product goes back to the sender. They together check much more thing in fishes, what you can imagine (arsen, cloranphenicol, polyfosfat etc). So I would be surprised if there is some poison or bacteria what nobody find in the fishes till it goes to the shops.
December 1st, 2010 at 2:16 pm
my fiance and myself have been eating cobler for the last 15 moths, at least once a fortnight, no problems at all, its actually quite comical how people get so scared by such an il informed article, the bse issue is a farce, cows where force fed cows, it is nature for fish to eat fish, do some research people you all have google, of now, cobler for tea, im boiling it in milk with salt and pepper, yummy.
December 4th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
I think the real issue here is not that you can eat it and not get sick, but the disinformation on the packaging. ‘Sustainably farmed.’ this fish is farmed in Viet Nam, where there are NO regulations. If you look at what fish farms do to the natural environment in a country like the UK (antibiotic and chemical drainage into fresh water and sea water and parasites passed to wild fish) just imagine what ‘fish farming’ in Viet Nam is like and what the knock on effects to the environment are, and then ask yourself if you can buy and eat this fish. When things are so ‘cheap’ is when all the alarm bells should go off in your head.
December 6th, 2010 at 1:26 am
The world health organizations and nations must have been very ignorant not to tell their citizens about fishes that contain high contaminants such as mercury, PCB, and others.
Another way of saying is that the information here is BULLSHIT!
December 8th, 2010 at 1:18 pm
i’ve been eating this fish in The Netherlands for over five years and i’ve never had any problems and also pangasius filet is one of the more expensive fish here, so i don’t think they actually do that to fishthat are inported to holland
December 9th, 2010 at 7:07 am
Cobbler is OK.I had some from tesco this morning,and I am still alive
December 10th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Has anyone here read “Extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds” by Charles Mackay?
Well, cook your fish well if suspicious, discard if appears spoiled. Don’t attempt to make sushi unless you CAUGHT the fish. Use common sense, eat well, live long!
December 11th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I can not believe it is 2010 and they are still selling this? I bought this and I am defrosting it. I was looking for a recipe and then I read this.
Are they really trying to kill us.
December 19th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Well i have seen this dutch programma that says the fish is contaminated with trifluralin that is prohibited in europe since 2006 and chlorpyrifos. They used it in the waters to kill parasites, Lucas Reijnders a dutch enviorment expert did research. Here is the link of the programe: http://kassa.vara.nl/tv/afspeelpagina/fragment/pangasius-verontreinigd-nvwa-gaat-vis-testen/speel/1/
December 20th, 2010 at 9:03 am
what kinds of fish are safe to eat?
December 20th, 2010 at 11:58 am
i only eat beef in mcDonalds!
December 30th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
if you’re too scared to eat it don’t buy it you boring internet moaners, i’m going to buy some asap to seewhat the fusss about
January 3rd, 2011 at 1:29 am
Maybe someone said it before: fish farmers in the U.S. have had a problem competing with imports from Vietnamese fish farms and – like in the case of the U.S. soybean oil industry tarring the health benefits of palm oil – another Southeast Asian product, I would not put it beyond an American fish farming lobby to try to discredit a product that is obviously a thorn in its side.
January 3rd, 2011 at 6:49 am
oh my goodness, people… has it EVER occured to you, that you might throw up after eating a fish or meat because you simply didn’t cook it enough?
i am form the czech republic and pangasius is quite popular around here. my family eats it quite often my three-year-old daughter even gets it for lunch in kindergarten, and we’ve never been sick after eating it.
also, don’t you realize that today EVERY animal that is to be slaughtered, sold, and eaten, is fed hormones? chickens are fed hormones to grow up in 40 (that’s forty) days! do you honestly think that the meat you buy in tesco or wherever is better quality than the pangasius? my parents buy poultry from a local farm – they are “organic”, they are only about 5crowns (about 12p) more expensive than the poultry from the local tesco store, and taste much better! if you don’t want to buy the hormone-filled mass-products from large stores, find your own fishmonger/green grocer/farmer/whatever, stop making a fuss and actually DO SOMETHING about it!
January 3rd, 2011 at 10:47 am
Thought people might be interested in this paper that ran a study on the safety and nutrition of River Cobbler (P.hypothalmus). There are several more papers available too.
http://www.alimenti-salute.it/cms/modules/corsi-formazione/upload/materiali/28052009_166/Elena%20Orban%20articolo.pdf
I’ve never read anywhere of high levels of toxins accumulating in cobbler and reaching the European market (from reputable academic sources) although the fish does seem to be poor in terms of nutritional quality so not sure why people would want to buy it.
It certainly appears to be safe based on academic studies which contradict the rather loose assertions posited by this website. A test conducted by a ‘friend’ is not the same as several large scale trials run by scientists, all of which state it is safe to eat. The other gripes about it being unsustainable and nutritionally negligible cannot be argued however.
Take home message: It will not poison you but is a pointless purchase based on nutritional value.
January 3rd, 2011 at 8:22 pm
It’s really sad how people fall for the marketing gimmicks of first world countries. Hasn’t anybody watched WAG THE DOG? The US shoots down any competition they may have by circulating fear and rumours about competitive products and producers. And since they have shaped the American mind to be fearful, this tactic is usually successful. This has been their reactionary behaviour from medicines, to cooking oils, to meats and fresh produce. This is their dirty way of squashing the little guys who are better than their own producers.
So I wish you would stop this rumour-mongering.
Pangas is a catfish. The US and Vietnam are fighting a Catfish war. Everybody knows it. It’s even on Wikipedia. Here you go, I am re-posting down below from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basa_fish
Please stop exporting your culture of fear. Wake up and get your own brain.
————————————–
“CATFISH WAR” IN THE U.S.
In 2002, the United States accused Vietnam of dumping catfish, namely Pangasius bocourti and Pangasius hypophthalmus, on the American market, charging the Vietnamese importers who are subsidized by Vietnam’s government of unfair competition.[6][7] With pressures from the U.S. catfish industry, the United States Congress passed a law in 2003 preventing the imported fish from being labelled as catfish, as well as imposing additional tariffs on the imported fish.[8] Under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruling, only species from the family Ictaluridae can be sold as true catfish.[9] As a result, the Vietnamese exporters of this fish now label their products sold in the U.S. as basa fish or bocourti.[10][11]
At the height of the “catfish war,” U.S. catfish farmers and others were describing the imported catfish as an inferior product. However, researchers at the Mississippi State University show that in their experiment, imported basa were preferred in a taste test 3-to-1.[12]
January 4th, 2011 at 10:29 am
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
January 5th, 2011 at 9:15 am
This article is extremely irresponsible and misleading. The cobbler sold in asda/tesco are farmed in britain and this information is readily available. It is stated on both the packaging and website that country of origin is UK. I work for Customs and can guarantee that large quantities of fish with high levels of the various toxins stated above would never be allowed into the EU. In the UK all products of animal origin must be checked by port health authorities and anything not meeting their high quality standards must be destroyed or re-exported. The website above supplied by TG confirms that fish have been tested and do not contain toxins.
January 7th, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Well we ate some tonight and it was yummy, One thing though, we bought it from Tesco and it says on the packet—”From Vietnam”
January 7th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
hi, i just read this article today, 7-1-2011 , and i want to say that i ate this fish many many times without any immediate side effects or any symptoms, but after what i read this article i beleive it may cause harm on the long run, i am living in Egypt, and it is widely sold in the supermarkets here at prices starting 1.5 $, so i decided never to buy it again,
January 9th, 2011 at 9:36 am
I first tried the fish a few years ago at Giant Eagle and again at another Giant Eagle closer to my house in Columbus, Ohio. I have never had a problem any occasion that I have had the fish off of their hot bar, it’s delicious. I was just curious about the fish when I heard the name from them so I came across this site. I just find it hard to believe that a reputable company would sell this to its customers.
January 11th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I purchased this fish from Tesco; it’s called Basa on the packet. I poached and seasoned and squirted lemon on it. My son and I enjoyed it. As I had never heard of it I just googled it and was horrified to find this web page. WE are both fine; my son has an allergy to preservatives that are used in some fish – mainly in Salmon, but had no reaction at all. I probably wont buy it again though as the farming isn’t very karmic.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
I’ve got to say, some people will believe anything. I have eaten and cooked Panga/ Vietnamese river cobbler with no problems. All fish can be tricky to cook and quite easily lead to food poisoning, you might well find that some people just aren’t very good at cooking. It is a main stream fish use in many resturants and sold in lots of supermarkets/shops. Don’t believe the hype people
January 13th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
As a biology student, I find this a little bit overkill but not everything is wrong. Anyone interested in further reading should read ‘Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food’ by Paul Greenberg.
As a science student, I like to debunk and clarify consumer confusion about food and other products. It’s too bad I cannot leave my email here; I would have liked to hear from people on both sides of the issue.
As for eating fish, it’s a fact that most fisheries are depleted and that farmed fish is still not sustainable as they are fed with smaller fishes caught from the wild. Fish has been over-hyped as a healthy food as well.
Read widely, not just blogs and be open-minded. You are what you eat so it pays to be well-read.
January 14th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Bought it in Asda, tried it cooked chinese style and found it fine, we were both fine and having goggled today find a varied of complaint and compliment, best thing is to make up yout own mind and get on with life, we are
January 15th, 2011 at 9:16 am
I purchased River Cobbler from Asda with my “on line shop” last week. I did not order it specifically, I have never heard of it. Last night I shallow fried in bread crumbs. I can honestly say, both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this mild tasting fish. No nasty taste at all. I am particularly vulnerable to anything not quite up to scratch (due to my illness and medication) Neither my husband or I have suffered any ill effects. I do suggest you check out “Which” if you are at all concerned.
January 15th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
The internet is a wonderful place most of the time and very informative. But sometimes you get this sort of rubbish posting which aims to scare people and get people to get leave of their senses.
This fish is perfectly safe to eat. Do your research before falling prey to this sort of rubbish.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
January 18th, 2011 at 8:12 am
I saw this unusual fish in Eroski in Spain yesturday, and as it was on such a special offer I bought and cooked this fish for dinner last night with garlic, lemon and salt and pepper. After taking two or three small bites I couldn’t eat it. I didn’t like it at all so gave it to my dog.
I’ve just finished cleaning up his sick from my apartment. I feel so guilty I gave it to him! He’s shaking in his bed right now. It has a strange consistency and is plasticky and tasteless. Not a nice flavour even if it wasn’t poisonous!
I think I will stick to the types of fish I know from now on, but as a rule to you all, do not feed this ‘fish’ to your pets, let alone yourself.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzvUvU4L2YI do you really think they would go to all this trouble to send you contaminated fish, if they are this fussy on you getting quality what are they doing breeding them? I’m willing to bet that food processed in the UK don’t meet this standard. Its the Americans who are trying to stop them as they tried farming them but couldn’t do it as well.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
I just want to say that i made fish pie with this fish in it last night for tea and both me and my partner instantly died.
Well obviously not but that is how ridiculous some of you people are being.
I work for Asda and they sell river cobbler both smoked and unsmoked, fresh or frozen, on the fish counters or pre packed for the small stores without a fish counter and i have eaten it all. I have no worries what so ever about this and i will continue to buy it. I also have basa in my freezer from ALDI which i have had many times before as well as tilipia. Its all yummy, its all cheap and it all gives cod a reast so get over yourselfs and get it eaten
January 21st, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Further to what I wrote above with regards to giving this fish to my dog. Four days later he is now in emergency 24 hour vets, we’ve been told he’l pull through but if we left him any longer without medical attention he could’ve died.
If I could swear on this site I would because I’m so angry and upset. But instead I will just hope and pray that this fish is taken off the market. Please someone start a campaign.
January 21st, 2011 at 8:54 pm
Oh those wicked, evil corporations are at it again, eh? how dare they ship fish around tthe world for others to eat? Oh those naughty carbon footprinters.
Id like to know how the fish on sale in France – the stuff actually on sale in the market ests out for the chemicals bacteria and gnasties you claim are in them. I missed that part in your “article.”
Im wondering, though, do they call them “evil, corrupt corporations” in China – which is poised to surpass all other sources for farmed fish. The Vietnamese can hadly make a dent. If there is anything that swims, flutters or undulates in the water, the Chinese are trying to sell it to the rest of us.
From the MANY articles I’ve read on Pangasius, the horrors you describe here are, well.. not really up to your description. So much for journalistic integrity.
I’d be more concerned with the finger you are not wagging at what is likely the most unregulated, cowboy-esque fish grower on the planet… our dear friends in China.
January 24th, 2011 at 9:05 am
The argument continues here: Take it up with Jamie Oliver! http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26991
January 25th, 2011 at 7:27 am
Actually, only about 10% of panga are raised directly in the Mekong River on an artisanal basis; most of those destined for export are raised industrially in specially dug ponds that can be isolated for hygiene. While some panga are indeed high in pollutants or antibiotics, the EU conducts aggressive inspections to try to make sure those fish don’t get through, and Vietnam and the EU are involved in intensive negotiations on how to establish certification standards for clean fish, moderated by the WWF. This is a genuine problem, but the way to resolve it is to bring Vietnamese standards up to first-world standards, for everyone’s benefit.
This website also makes the incorrect assertion that panga have a high carbon footprint because some of their feed comes from Peru and they are shipped from Vietnam to Europe. This is silly. Sending small trawlers out to sea to catch fish, then bring them to factory ships for flash-freezing, and then shipping them back to Europe has a higher carbon footprint. Individual fishermen driving to the beach, catching two fish, and driving them home has the highest carbon footprint of all. Tra and basa are raised in staggeringly dense quantities on farms, shipped to nearby factories, and then all stuck in one freighter for shipment to Europe. The industry probably has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any fish around, and that is much of the reason why the price is so low: energy costs money. Also, tra and basa have one of the best ratios of feed to bodyweight of any protein food around — incredibly, it’s around 2 to 1. So that gives them a low impact on the world food chain and a lower carbon footprint.
January 25th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
I brought some river cobbler for the first time the other week, and well………………….. I’M DEFINATELY BUYING SOME MORE!!!!!!!! all this stuff on here is a load of crap, this fish is bloody lovely even better than some of the fish from the sea. I love the fish and haven’t stopped eating it for ages. Before i brought this fresh of the fish counter the other week i was buying “BASA”
January 25th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I brought some of this fish fresh off the fish counter at asda’s the other week and well……………………………..I’M DEFINATELY GONNA BE BUYING SOME MORE!!!!!!!! I have brought some in between then and now. This fish is absoloutely lovely, there is nothing wrong with this fish at all. This is even better than some of the fish from the sea. I would rather have this than whiting, dabs and everything like that. All this on this review is pure rubbish. Before i brought this fresh i had been buying “BASA” fillets. I didnt know for a start that BASA is river cobbler as well. I have been having these “BASA”
January 25th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
I bought two cobbler fillets this afternoon from Tesco, fried in breadcrumbs and eaten with home made xhips and peas, and so far no ill effects. A rather tasteless fish, and a watery constituency, it needs plenty of seasoning. £2.50 so good value. Wil post again tomorrow if any ill effects, unless dead of course:-)
January 25th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
I have brought this fish fresh for the first time a few weeks ago and i having been buying it and buying it and buying it. This fish is absoloutely lovely. This fish is even better than some fish from the sea. This is one of the best fish i have ever tasted. Before i was buying this fresh i was buying “BASA” fillets. I never knew that basa was river cobbler but in a different name. Also i have been buying pangasius fish Goujons. I have been buying these fillets and goujons for ages and ages, years even. I have had no problems whatsoever. I would actually live off this fish and it wouldnt bother me 1 bit. TAKE NO NOTICE OF THESE OTHER REVIEWS! Asda’s will be selling loads of this fish to me. I have never felt sick with this fish or anything off this type. THIS FISH IS LOVELY!!!!
January 26th, 2011 at 4:47 am
i ate this fish last night and thought it was beautiful. no adverse effects today, well not as yet.
January 26th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Well, 24 hours since eating the fish, and no adverse effects, none from my wife either who also had this fish. So I guess I’ll be getting some more. I can’t say it’s not the best fish I’ve tasted, quite bland actually, but certainly value for money. Seasoning seems to be the key.
January 26th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
The only thing making me sick here is how goddamn stupid some of you people can be. I started researching the panga fish after reading some British news article (found here: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Chip-shop-s-cod-river-fish/article-3138943-detail/article.html).
My research, along with the all the ignorant and vaguely racist (or perhaps xenophobic would be a better way to say it) comments that I’ve read, leads me to believe that this is nothing more than the worst kind of commercially-motivated propaganda playing on the xenophobic, sensationalist, and ignorant attitudes of your generic household shopper.
These are the same kind of scare tactics that have been used to justify the War in Iraq, criminalize the wondrously beneficial marijuana, and countless other smaller examples. Seriously, this kind of stuff makes me so angry that I actually read each and every comment, and now I’m even angrier that I’ve wasted my entire day on this bull when I could have been curing cancer.
So here you go, you ignoramuses. Read these, and then please shut the fuck up:
http://mattsteinglass.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/thou-blackguard-thou-slanderest-my-fish/
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1406190.php/Vietnam_catfish_farmers_angered_by_French_reports
http://www.iol.co.za/news/back-page/vietnam-has-tastier-fish-than-us-studies-1.248546
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
http://www.rawfish.com.au/basa-story/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=19569323&dopt=abstractplus
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6R-4RV7YKY-5&_user=10&_coverDate=09%2F15%2F2008&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f7ea07263a449239540451a418682e9a&searchtype=a
As a journalism student, I am fucking appalled by you, dietmindspirit.org. I thought you might offer me some tips on how to maintain a properly balanced diet to the benefit of my mind and spirit, but instead the former is now sick and the latter two are crushed by the overwhelming ignorance of the general populace.
I’ve decided to give up journalism and farm panga instead.
January 26th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
And to catfish-vomit girl: I feel bad for your dog. I really do. It’s been cursed with a master that’s not only idiotic enough to feed it random foods, but one that can’t cook those foods either. You act like you’ve never seen rotten food before. I wish we would could all live in Magical Fairy Pixieland.
For the rest of you actual people who got sick: Panga is related to catfish. So if you got sick, and are still completely confident that you stored and cooked it impeccably, then most likely you have a catfish allergy. It’s been a problem in the U.S. market, from what I’ve read, since the catfish lobby has forced legislation barring panga from being labeled as catfish.
January 27th, 2011 at 1:04 am
We bought a couple of these fillets last night from Tesco’s and baked them as per directions on the pack; we ate them straightaway with a basic green salad without any dressing or any other food, besides a cup of tea.
I escaped with a grumbling abdomen (persisting as I write 13hrs later but my wife was violently ill within half an hour of finishing.
Clearly, there’s something strange in this this fish that reacts differently from person to person – we shan’t be buying any more!
January 27th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
i ate this fish for the first time with my two sons and quite frankly it is the worst fish i have ever tasted in my life and my sons agree.when i put it in my mouth i actually thought it wasnt cooked properly.the texture was disgusting and the taste was non existent.absolute rubbish.totally lost my appetite.
January 28th, 2011 at 7:18 am
What a load of tripe. I have just tried river cobbler,and it’s a nice fish, I fry it in batter like cod and haddock
January 29th, 2011 at 4:32 am
[...] Nu folositi acest peste in alimentatie. [...]
January 29th, 2011 at 6:28 am
Forget the catfish I wanna know where their farming hormones from poor pregnant women!
That must be quite some setup with all of those fish to inject!
January 30th, 2011 at 5:42 am
i have been eating this fish for the last few month along with my partner and never add a problem yet. we have also telled famlie and friends to try the fish and they also love it so in my eyes the fish must go on.
January 31st, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Bought some from Tesco this morning and it has been marinading with ginger, lime and chilli. Will report back on taste, texture and side effects tomorrow.
February 1st, 2011 at 8:07 am
well I fried it in very hot groundnut oil and found that I liked the meaty texture and with the marinade I knocked up it was very tasty. I served it with Harissa and lime couscous and a simple rocket salad. And i’m pleased to say that 14 hours later I am having no nasty side effects.
February 2nd, 2011 at 9:46 am
the author of this news has no knowledge about aquaculture…here in the philippines, we found pangasius to be one of the potential specie for aquaculture because of its size and fast growing characteristics. Hormone being use for induce breeding is a normal material as other species applied specially species that cannot be breed naturally. It has a point with regard to the environment where the fish growing but its the responsibility of importers to check the quality of pangasius… I never heard here in the philippines that somebody are suffering illness because of eating pangasius..the philippine government even promoting the rearing of this species.
February 5th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
just had this fish bought from asda under the name of river cobbler the guys behind the fish counter new nothing about it. it was alright flavour but just reading this is worying me now.
February 5th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Well thanks for the article. I was trying to understand why Pangasius has suddenly hit all the Czech restaurants and supermarkets big time in the last year. I never heard of it before that.
I have to say I am very impressed by the taste and the price. Also it is obviously not that I have an iron stomach that I have survived unscathed. The volume they are selling would make any short term risks very quickly visible and it seems to have been around Europe for several years now.
I think one also has to balance the environmental cost of one form of food production against the alternatives and wild fish from the sea is generally dodgy these days due to the effect of overfishing. So farmed fish is quite appealing to me.
The comparison with feeding animal protein to cows is an interesting one. I think the main problem was that cows are firmly vegetarian. I understand the farmed pangasius subspecies are also plant eaters but I wonder how adaptable they are and if they have any close carnivorous relatives. I always understood that fish eat fish eat fish eat … plankton
Carbon footprint. Hmm. It can’t be huge or the price would be hit. We should be paying higher sin taxes on air freight generally and that is the best place to focus protests, to ensure the true cost of food and everything else is reflected in prices.
February 5th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
PS based on http://www.worldwildlife.org/what/globalmarkets/aquaculture/WWFBinaryitem8612.pdf and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangasius_hypophthalmus#Food_source most farmed pangasius are omnivore (unlike cows).
February 6th, 2011 at 2:30 am
[...] På Matpolisen, Dietmindspirit och Alexandras prat om mat kan man läsa mer om Mekongfloden och att Pangasius fisken matas med [...]
February 7th, 2011 at 11:27 am
I had a fish and chip supper last Friday 4th Feb at a Premier Inn and the fish was pangasius. I thought it was lovely and enjoyed it but I did get diarrhea but only for an hour or two, but I didn’t think it was the fish. It tasted very nice and fresh to me. It’s nice to have a change from cod etc.
February 9th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
I sell this to most of my customers and I also eat it 3/4 times per month. Something sounds a little bit like the US growers are trying to sabotage this species.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:43 am
After being recommended this fish by a friend more than a year ago, my wife and I still enjoy it once a week with no sign of any ill effects!
February 10th, 2011 at 11:31 am
Hi, I am a consummer who has been buying River Cobler and eating this fish, both smoked and unsmoked for over 2 years from the big T. I can say that it is cheap, tastes wonderful and I have never felt ill in anyway. Just off to cook some more for tea.
February 13th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Cobbler smoked is good and Tesco must come and the people if they do not check the farm conditions of their products that they sell to us.
None of us have been sick and we do not like the ideal that we have iron bellies. This is not good.
But I have not seen much cobbler around in shops today. So we have to go back to sole instead.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
I am afraid that this is all propagander and misleading. Look wider and you will see that very little of this is true
February 16th, 2011 at 8:40 am
I have eaten River Cobbler often, in fact I have used that and Mackerel to replace Cod / Haddock in my diet and to date have not had a problem. And, I will continue to do so.
Sorry for those that have had a bad experience, uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst. Interesting views on the pros and cons of Aquaculture, personally I do believe we will need it as natural fish stocks dwindle and demand rises and it is better to start looking at how that can work now, while we have other alternatives, rather than leave it until it is absolutely necessary when I believe that more corners will be cut and people will need to be even more vigilant to spot them.
We can tackle demand by getting people to move to less intensively fished wild species, but as HFW is currently trying it is not an easy option as the public at large are a difficult species to motivate quickly.
Get the ridiculous Discard and Quota system changed for the better to enable local Fisherman to land local species on local beaches – much less carbon intensive I would suggest.
My thoughts for what they are worth.
Pete
February 16th, 2011 at 9:12 am
Quote, Pete Moore:
February 14th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
“I’m a pescatarian … and if you want to talk up a storm about anything, then try chicken, pork and beef … and see what bad influence they have on your body”
When you say “bad influence” I assume you mean growth, right? Oh wait…
February 16th, 2011 at 10:31 am
I’ve bought this from the Asda i work in many times and never had any problems, anyway the accusations that they are contaminated with stuff like pcb’s wouldn’t make you ill straight away they would have to build up over a no of years,besides the bbc’s watchdog prog did a report into this and sent some away to some labs that found nothing at all on the samples they received
February 17th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
If this fish are contaminated, it would have been rejected from the import custom. Bear in mind, Tilapia also a fresh water fish??? The exporter must have the FDA standard before shipping the products in the EU.
Think before you complaint.
Have a Nice Day
February 19th, 2011 at 11:45 am
I have bought this fish at least 6 times in the last few months and have had it either in a curry, a plain old white sauce and deep fried.
No problems whatsoever I will continue to buy it.
February 20th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
This article is pure shit ignorance, highly unscientifically grounded, superstition, exaggeration and competition eradication.
Firstly, Pangasius Sutchi is highly popular in Asia, because it has good skin texture and meat flavour. It is the goddess fish in Thailand (Thai don’t eat Pangasius just like Indians don’t eat beef). It is definitely one of the best fish among freshwater species.
Secondly, Pangasius is a catfish. It is highly hardy and does not require a lot of antibiotics if nutrients are complete. Pangasius is environmentally friendly. Compared to tilapia which has food-to-weight conversion of 1.25 to 1, pangasius has around 3-5. Well it only requires 20% crude proteins for efficient growth, but a lot of farmers in asia feed them with water-floating plants called duckweed (Lemna, which contains much less proteins), but certainly slower growths. Eels, salmon, shrimps have conversion rate of at least 11 to 1. Shame on you, author. Buy locally is important, but what about fair trade that has been called out all around europe and america? Asian aquaculturists definitely can meet the low competitive prices, it’s not their fault, and not definitely all asian fishes are unscrupulously farmed.
The pangasius injected is to induce spawning, the author is just bullshit. And one of the sources is from urine, valuable source basically, nothing gimmicky.
Fish meal all around the world are made up of rice bran, wild fish meat, soy fibres, nuts and lipids. Especially in terms of fish meal for carnivorous fishes, they are made from blended herrings, and stuffs, dried and packed. Either containing bacteria in the fish meal or not DOES NOT harm the fish, as fish have digestive system that kills off malignant bacteria, and NO bacteria but parasites survive in fish body when alive. The only contamination source is during the processing of fillet when the fish are harvested. What the fish eat directly determines the meat taste. If a lot of people find it great, what is fed doesn’t worry us at all.
February 25th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Well now, just got back from ASDA after buying some of this. I’ll definitely still be eating it and let you know if I die.
In all seriousness, though, to those who did get sick after eating this – there are many reasons you could have gotten ill. As someone mentioned above, allergies for one. River fish, catfish, aren’t the same as your run-of-the-mill cod or salmon. The fact that some people mentioned that it affected them but not others who ate it with them points to this being the case. I went to Slovenia recently and became violently sick from eating a pork chop (my family, who ate theirs off the same dish, had no such problems). Did I blame the pig it came from, the way it was reared? No, because obviously the problem was with my body. I hate how some people will go to any lengths to lay the blame on something they think they can change with a few complaints of ‘I got sick while eating this, so obviously the fish is toxic and no one should eat it EVER’.
Another reason is your preparation, and yeah, you may whine and cry that you’re always so hygenic and cook it thorougly, but these things can still happen.
The fact is, toxins take a long time to have any real effect and you would need to eat a very large amount of fish to actually have a problem. If there was a problem with the fish that are being farmed in Vietnam… there would be a far, FAR greater number of people getting ill and complaining about it, rather than a few ‘baaawww, my tummy got poorly ;_;’. Need I point out that people get sick from eating fish (not cobbler fish either) EVERY DAY? I could easily become ill from eating the haddock I purchased along with the cobbler. Hell, some of the effects people have described are the same effects I get from eating curry, if you know what I mean.
Now then. I’m going to eat this cobbler tomorrow. I may get sick, I may not. If I do, I’m definitely not going to blame the fish’s Vietnamese origins.
February 26th, 2011 at 11:42 am
For God’s sake, please don’t eat this fish!!! Both myself and my husband ate it last night. I must admit, it tasted good, especially my husband used some oyster mushroom to make a lovely sauce to go with it. From this early morning, I started to feel sick. Later on, my husband didn’t feel well and we both vomited. We are still suffering now. We hope that our condition will improved and don’t need to go to A&E.
I went onto the Internet to search for this fish trying to find more information about it and found all these positive and negative comments. Honestly, I won’t risk it again!!! I’m writing this in my bed. Please believe me!!!!!
February 27th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
This is the 3rd day since we had the fish. My husband and I have not totally recovered from the illness. I bought a pack of this frozen Vietnamese Pangaius from the frozen fish counter of an oriental store in London. I would never touch this fish again!!
February 28th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
FREAKS THIS FISH IS OKAY, I GAVE IT TO LOTS OF MY LODGERS AND THEY ARE ALL OKAY. HAHAHAHAHA….
February 28th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
I have have had this fish from a fish shop in Whitby.
It was delicious and I have had no adverse reactions to it.I recommend it.
February 28th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
I was heard and read all the comments about the Pangasius fish.I think this fish is not dangerous and poisons to the health of people.here in the Philippines no one got ill to eat that fish.I’m not yet tasted but I’m willing to eat that fish. Actually i love eating fish. many argue that while eating that fish every one got ill and covered something not good in the body. just cook it very will don’t half cook that fish. i buy that fish asap.!!!!!!!!. tnx.
March 3rd, 2011 at 1:02 am
I just bought some of this fish from the Discount Grocery store chain in California. I was drawn by the cheap price tag and it looks like cod. I got it home and realized it was grown in Vietnam and decided I better do some research.
For those of your who trust the government food inspection organizations in US and Europe and elsewhere to protect your health and safety, I can tell you that your should be very cautious. It is not a conspiracy theory to say that these government inspection agencies are a sort of revolving door with the largest food corporations. They are influenced by the same corporations they are supposed to monitor the same way politician are bought and paid for by corporate lobbyists. I have seen much true evidence of terrible things happening to the food sold in the stores and the health agencies turn a blind eye rather than fight the very bosses of the companies that oversee them.
This is true with all cheap production practices and sweatshop worker conditions and toxic industries, the producers care only about making a product cheaper, irregardless of the damage to human health and the environment. The level of toxic compounds in the rivers of East Asia is hugely alarming. This is toxic soup in the worst way. Facilities that emit all sorts of toxic chemicals and recycling facilities for dead computers and chemical plants are all upstream.
The Hudson River in the U.S. used to be just as polluted before the Kennedy family launched a big crusade to clean up the polluters. Today the water is clean, and many people again eat the fish from the Hudson River. However, whenever there is flooding from big rains or tidal surge the sediment on the river bottom gets stirred up and a level of toxic mud is revealed and mixed in with the river water. The level of PCBs in the river mud is well known and documented. For this reason I will still never eat fish from the Hudson River even though I live close to the river and I will go swimming in it, but never after a big rain storm.
In Asia the rivers have never yet been cleaned up. Any fish that is exposed to this toxic water will be contaminated with the most horrible toxic compounds that cause cancer and deformities. Whether this would give someone sickness the same day they eat this fish depends on their sensitivity to toxic compounds, but anyone who eats toxic fish is more likely to develop cancer in the future. This is a scientific fact the same as smoking cigarettes causes cancer.
Those of you who wish to keep eating this toxic fish by its many names can take your own health into your hands. At least after reading the posts on this site you aren’t a blind victim of this environmental contamination. If people want to contaminate themselves and injure their own health for the sake of a yummy plate of cheap fish that is their own business. But please do not subject your children or loved ones to these poisons or you may be causing them harm and injury they are not even aware of. Worse still are the restaurant chefs selling this toxic stuff to the general public.
In this day and age there are many toxic products placed in front of us by the large super-store chains. Staying healthy requires effort to educate yourself and do what you can to eat simpler foods produced by small and honest producers. If you can’t afford good clean fish then perhaps eat simple cheap proteins like lentils and beans and natural affordable cheeses (Like Cabot organic tofu etc. Support local farmer’s markets or grow your own garden in the back yard. But eating toxic fish is really not wise.
I bought this fish but I tossed it in the garbage after researching where it was from. Instead we cooked up some yummy plantains fried in olive oil and fresh organic salad and spiced lentils. This alternative dinner was cheaper and healthier and just as delicious when you consider the knowledge of the choice between either eating something natural and healthy or something tasty but toxic.
March 3rd, 2011 at 2:15 pm
just had this fish for my tea made into a pie , with in the half hour i am now burning up and feeling sick and dizzy my lips are swelling and im now on my way to hospital …
March 3rd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
I bought one pound of pangasius last night from HEB here in the US. Cooked it on the grill in a piece of aluminum foil. I was delicious. I’m going to pan fry some more tonight.
March 4th, 2011 at 2:53 am
Had some of these for 1 week straight now, and I have skin rashes on my thighs. Im a Seventh-Day Adventist and I eat only “clean” foods and I thought Pangasius fish was clean.
Turns out to be a catfish full of “you know what”! Its the only new item in my diet and my rashes started almost the same time I started eating this.
Stay away from this fish. Ill add this link on my Facebook page.
March 4th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Fed this to my wife and kids tonight. What a tasty dish. As cod prices go through the roof why not try the cheaper alternative. I cooked it well with my steamer and had it with pasta and veg. If we get ill it’ll be cos I did something wrong cooking it and not the fish I’m sure. What gets me is why is no-one farming it in the UK or States in guaranteed clean water. Some-one with the right space is gooing to make a mint cos it really is as tasty if not more than cod. Please all remember that it’s in any farmers best interests to ensure the welfare of his stock to maximise profit. Dead stock = No Money!! Fish would die in these horrendous conditions that you all talk about!!
March 5th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
raisers in our place say pangasius meat does good sashimi.im quite skeptical on this esp that its riverine not a sea dweller.but i think i can give 8 a try with strong liquor to wash it down.cheers!
to those who doubt the fish,maybe u can give it a try.ask where it was raised then u decide.
btw pangasius is raised in our place in small ponds with source of fresh crystal clear waters gushing from mountain creeks.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:30 am
We have been eating this fish for a while. Nothing very special ever pappened. After one of our friends emailed us this article a week ago. I did a google search. And I found this place. I think article is a bit over blown. Howerver I do believe the authority need keep a watchful eye on the industry, I mean the whole food industry, to protect the tax payers. By the way, I am a toxicologist.
March 8th, 2011 at 11:32 am
We have been eating this fish for a while. Nothing very special ever happened. After one of our friends emailed us this article a week ago. I did a google search. And I found this place. I think the article is a bit over blown. Howerver I do believe the authority need keep a watchful eye on the industry, I mean the whole food industry, to protect the tax payers. By the way, I am a toxicologist.
March 11th, 2011 at 11:32 am
Brewers Fayre are now serving this as Fish and Chips. Had Fish and Chips lunchtime and it was the worst fish i have ever tasted. i left most of it. It was watery, flavourless and disintegrated into nothing in my mouth.I will not be eating at Brewers Fayre again
March 13th, 2011 at 5:34 am
Hi i am french and i bought pangas yesterday in Carrefour Hypermarket, i got back home late with my shoping, it was dark.
When i put my bags down to turn the light on, i realised that something was glowing in my shoping bag, would you believe it it was the panga, it glowes in the dark, i am sure it is radioactive but i called the hypermarket and they almost said i was crazy, Please do not eat this fish, i don t know how to go about it but i don t want to leave it. Please give me some advise
Thank you
March 13th, 2011 at 10:41 am
if this fish is okay, why do fish n chip shops sell it as FISH,,,,they never sell it as PANGA.. i know this is a fact in northern england
March 14th, 2011 at 1:03 pm
In Vietnam and Cambodia this fish (and Tilapia) are farmed – often in the craters left by American bombs during the Vietnam war. It is done on a massive scale and also as a cottage industry – most often the business will be run by a local Chinese.
If a water-buffalo should die, they may heave it into the fish pond and it will be gone within a few weeks they (literally) do not give a s**t what the fish are fed, so long as they grow. Catfish are scavengers and are the second last to die when the water is polluted (last are the eels and you also do NOT want to eat eels from Asia!).
It shows how sloppy are the European inspection procedures that this fish is subjected to when it is imported.
Sorry to say, but the same issue occurs with farmed prawns and shrimps and crabs – except of course the ponds are washed by the sea, but they, also, are none too savory. Note that in the back of the shrimp you see the black line of its alimentary canal, which contains, well … their last meal! Most people remove this but restaurants often don’t.
Bon appetite!
PS Chinese restaurants often serve pangas as “filet cooked in wine” and it can be delicious.
March 14th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
hello everyone, and this is really a very unpleasant unexpected news, coz i know very well that everything became chemically produced so personally im trying to avoid as many chemical stuff as possible, but hey.. did it reach that epidemic level of feeding the fish with urine compounds? im asking coz i was consuming this type of fish at least twice a week and i have never had a problem after eating it, so i dont know how true this article is.. please reply, thanks
March 14th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
Basem – pretty accurate, but with a few non-scientific statements such as the one about pee-extract (probably true but pee is fairly safe to, even, drink – many Indians do so daily). I have lived in Cambodia and seen the pools and been ejected when I tried to go and take a look inside a Chinese fish-farm there. I am pretty sure you are not in any danger from your meals (I too had a few before I found out and it is lovely fish to cook and eat!) but maybe you’d be well advised to skip it from now on!
March 15th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Hi All,
Just bought some Vietnamese River Cobbler from Tesco this evening. Thought I would find a recipe on it and came across this thread.
I haven’t read all the comments to this topic, but since it started 3 years ago, I notice that there is still a mixed feeling about its farming and effects on the body. Either way, supermarkets are still selling the fish and my thoughts are if this is the case, it must be safe to eat. I will let you know my after effects…..plan to have some tomorrow evening.
March 19th, 2011 at 6:01 am
I sell this fish as a sustainable substitute to cod, many customers buy this and i have many happy returning customers month after month, who are happy with the fish and happy that they are helping to prevent the high demand for cod (although it really makes no difference as we all know quotas do not really help cod)
could it be that this is another young emo/hippy pointing the finger at corporations again???
i dont know,, but just thought i should try to make a level playing field
happy fishing
xx
March 20th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Please stop spreading misinformations. Those fishes are the same in terms of quality and safety indicators the the US ones. See this study from the Mississippi State University :
http://www.iol.co.za/news/back-page/vietnam-has-tastier-fish-than-us-studies-1.248546
March 23rd, 2011 at 1:28 pm
I ‘accidentally’ ordered this in a restaurant last week – (it was listed as ‘Fish and Chips’ on the menu – and I was sick as a pig for about three days afterwards.
This fish is tasteless, watery and completely SLIMY..
- I don’t think that people in this country realise that most countries (Hillbilly States excluded) wouldnt touch this bottom-feeding, overgrown tadpole with a bargepole! – it would be the equivalent OF eating a cane toad to some people… yuck.
Give me Cod and Chips, or Haddock and Chips or Coley and Chips, Rock and Chips or Anything and Chips…… but CATFISH and Chips? No thanks –
I would rather starve.
(call it whatever fancy name you will – but it is a slimy CATFISH….
March 24th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I eat one of these fish and my IQ increased by 57 points, my penis lengthened by 4 inches and all my hair grew back after 50 years of baldness.
Well, it sounds as likely as some of the scare stories I’ve just read.
March 24th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Not sure what all the sickness is about…we’ve had this fish several times over the last couple of months and never had any adverse effects. Yes, it is a very mild fish and very inexpensive to buy. We are having it tomorrow night for dinner… no fear here! I do agree that you should buy local, buy fresh, and that you should be careful about the foods you buy. If we ever have a problem, I may reconsider; but I truly don’t see anything to worry about when it comes to this fish and making people sick.
March 24th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
John,
I’m assuming you meant cows are HERBAVORES and not OMNIVORES. Humans are omnivores, and we most certainly eat meat.
March 25th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Have just bought my first Cobbler today before researching this site. I intend to eat it. If I do not add any further comments than you may take it that I either like it or it has proved fatal.
March 25th, 2011 at 11:49 am
hahahahaha this fish is very good, gives me strong power to pray Allah, i enjoy it and i am very happy with this fish. My wife adores it. We eat this fish every month for 3 or 4 times. We are so happy eating this fish. In fact, i want to ask the poster of this topic to delete it because this fish is very good just my Quaran. Strong be Allah with me!
I live in Pakistan and we love this fish. My father is 54 and he eat this fish with my mother. Very good fish. This year i will move to Canada and i will still buy this fish. And eat it. Very nice.
I recomand this fish to yeat it, it is so good and tasty, without bones.Very nice fish to eat. If anyone wants to chat with me , making friends, discussing about Allah, discussing about Quaran and our ISLAM love please let me know. And eat this fish
March 26th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
This article is riddled with illiterate American spellings, which leads me to the conclusion that this is written by some right-wing US “patriot”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m right-of-centre, and know that the British left are shambolic and would ruin the country under Miliband and Balls, but this is a poorly-researched attack on the nation that kicked the US’ arse in the sixties. So what? Grow up, man. We all get our arses kicked occasionally, no matter how strong our militaries.
River Cobbler is proving increasingly popular in the UK, it helps save our Cod stocks, and the fact that it comes from Vietnam really doesn’t bother me in the least. If the US spent less time worrying about loony left-wing regimes and more time concentrating on training its armed forces not to attack allies or friendly forces, the world might be a far better place.
March 28th, 2011 at 11:36 pm
“Lisa Says: This fish is tasteless, watery and completely SLIMY..”
come on..the fish is mild for sure….nowhere near watery or slimy haha
it just wasnt cooked well..hence your puking…lololl
March 30th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Both myself and my 3 yr old daughter have been eating the smoked version of this for a while now and love it. No adverse reactions.
I found this article whilst looking up what the fish actually was, incidentally I found the watchdog article just before this one, they tested samples bought from ASDA and it all tested ok.
March 31st, 2011 at 9:30 am
What a load of cobblers! This fish taste great and I’ve never had any issues with it. You can pretty much did up a damning report on most foods we eat nowdays so people should just form their own opinions. Not everyone likes the same food.
Scaremongering tactics not working here.
March 31st, 2011 at 10:09 am
What a load of cobblers! This fish taste great and I’ve never had any issues with it. You can pretty much dig up a damning report on most foods we eat nowdays so people should just form their own opinions. Not everyone likes the same food.
Scaremongering tactics not working here.
April 1st, 2011 at 8:38 am
OH MY LORD, WHO WROTE THIS CRAP?! I WORK IN THE INDUSTRY (NOT EXCLUSIVELY PANGASIUS THUS I HAVE NO LOYALTIES TO THE FISH OR THE SUPPLY OF THIS PARTICULAR THE FISH)AND THIS IS ALL JUST SUCH A LOAD OF CRAP. NOTHING LIKE WATCHING A BIASED DOCUMENTARY AND THEN WASTING YOUR TIME WRITING YOUR OWN ARTICLE BASED ON THAT. A NICE BIT OF THIRD HAND INFO THERE GIVING US THE ‘FACTS’.
April 2nd, 2011 at 9:38 am
Just had Basa for the first time last night for dinner and really enjoyed it. My husband and I have have had no symptoms of any illness after it at all. I hasten to add that I have a very delicate stomach and it would upset normally at the slightest dodgy thing and Ive been fine. Its funny how when people have been vomiting or had diarrheoh that they put it down to the last thing they ate isnt it and in this case its the Basa for some people, when it could be any number of other illness. So theres probably nothing wrong with the fish at all. How many times a year do you hear on the news that something we have been eating has been bad for us all along? You here a it all the time and its just scare mongering. This is exactly the same.
April 3rd, 2011 at 1:55 am
‘This article is riddled with illiterate American spellings.’
Err Gooey, it’s translated from French.
April 4th, 2011 at 11:45 am
i cooked some cobbler on an open fire wrapped in a banana leaf with garlic , cut chilli,pulped kaffir lime leaves shredded ginger, sea salt and a little vinegar ,i detected no bones and to be honest this is a great fish to cook quickly on barbicues or pan fry with chilli, garlic and ginger. after reading some of the dispicable comments regarding this product i feel disgusted that poor farmers from the fareast are not allowed to earn an honest living without being the victims of a fictious witchhunt, i ask our american friends what ever happened to free and fair trade for the poor countries of the world.
April 5th, 2011 at 7:44 am
this is still sold in fish and chip shops as simply ‘fish’ or even worse, they try to pass it off as cod! its disgusting and should not be sold.
April 6th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
I have read through most of the comments posted and wondered why people are so down on this fish?, then the penny dropped, the real issue was about ‘Tesco’! This is not the only retailer providing us with this good quality product,but no mention of them though!!!! This is a true british company which is giving other global giants (America – wallmart – Asda) a good run for their money. Isn’t it time we stopped turning on one of our own, and instead show some respect for what the company has acheived, from a market stall to a GOBAL CONTENDER!!!! I’m proud to work for Tesco.
April 8th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
You must have a “personal motivation” to post this article against the fish.
It is popular and very affordable (cheap) as mentioned in your paper because it is produced from a country where labour price is not as high as in Europe.
And since it is LEGALLY sold in brand supermarket in Europe I do not think it is contaminated.
April 9th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
have about 6lbs of frozen basa swai fillet in the freezer. Been eating it for years hwere in the US. NO ILL EFFECTS.
April 10th, 2011 at 3:52 pm
I love this fish. Nom nom nom nom!
If you researched the origins of most of our food you’d never eat again!
Sensationalism at it’s best.
April 11th, 2011 at 4:55 am
this fish made me sick.
April 13th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
Well I have eaten this fish twice in the last week so has my 15 month old son and I hate to tell you all that we are both still alive and kicking and that the fish itself was lovely.
A good alternative to our own white fish, although pretty bland.
April 14th, 2011 at 11:12 pm
yum yum
April 15th, 2011 at 9:52 pm
A lot people got sick badly after eating basa fish.
But no one went to Emergency Room ,why?, Maybe they did not get sick in the stomach, but they got sick in the head
April 16th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
We had Basa last night and it was delicious. No problems with any illnesses, dietary issues, upset stomachs, cancer, heart disease, or stubbed toes. These so-called documentaries are used as scare tactics by wacky enviros, PETA types and the Animal Liberation Front. Now let me ask you this: Do you really think that the Vietnamese would attempt to scuttle their entire multi-million dollar industry by sending tainted fish to every market it has on earth?
April 17th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
who says woman urine is bad for your health ?
If a person who have diebeties drink their own urnie
or as a matter Cow urint it will heal so much of the sickness in your bodies . India also marketing cow urine to the whole world . so if America or other countries cant produce enough fish for the population do your home work . human urine is not bad for you . eat the dam fish
April 17th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Before you know it this fish will be grown in USA
I am working to grow it in Florida . soon . I have 250 in my tank now to grow . and working to have 300 acrs of land to grow this fish in Florida
April 19th, 2011 at 12:53 am
I am afraid this hoax was busted looooooong ago as created by the US catfish industry who wanted to protect their product from cheaper (arguably higher quality) product from overseas.
The hoax relies on people’s inherent racism, ignorace and gullibility. Dont be a sucker, keep eating Pangasius!
April 20th, 2011 at 8:25 am
I live in Spain bought a pack of panga have eaten it twice very ill both times dumped the rest. Never again.
April 21st, 2011 at 1:00 pm
I had this fish today with sweet chilli sauce, brought it from Tesco couple of days ago, I feel fine. It was a delicious fish. So I’ll keep you posted if I’m sick tomorrow. But honestly they would of checked if it was poisoness. Or atleast they would of banned it from our local supermarkets.- Mathew
April 21st, 2011 at 4:48 pm
I work in Canadian grocery store and this fish is one of the top sellers, as mentioned above if people were aware of the orgins of all foods, you would either stop eating everything that was imported or you would die, simple. If it was really that dangerous the governments would not allow people to consume this fish.
April 23rd, 2011 at 5:47 pm
“Pangas are teeming with high levels of poisons and bacteria. (industrial effluents, arsenic, and toxic and hazardous by-products of the growing industrial sector, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), metal contaminants, chlordane-related compounds (CHLs), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), and hexachlorobenzene (HCB))”
It is a lie. there are laboratories able to detect those substances IF there are!
Those fishes are grown same way like chickens, pigs, and cows: with any kind of food, to grow faster, to produce more profit. It is an industry not agriculture.
But there is no poisons inside pangas.
I prefere those fishes instead of any type of MGO from soy, corn or others.
April 24th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Hey everyone
I bought this fish in the “T” several times. U know what? I just finished one tasty Cobbler dish before this comment.
Firstly, it’s quite suitable for home cooking as it’s not fishy and boneless.
Second, some people above said they had different adverse feelings after eating this. Were you sure your illness definitely came from this fish rather than other food?!
Thirdly. I think basically everything in UK supermarkets is healthier than in China, why we cannot trust the safety here? I am Chinese living in UK, btw.
April 27th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
I am a very experienced chef with over 35 years of catering experience in high class food establishments and i can honestly say that I have never heard so much sensationalist clap trap in all my life. You must all be gullible fools if you believe an ounce of this rubbish. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Vietnamese River Cobbler and it will not make you ill unless you have an allergy to fish. If you cook this fish in a light batter and serve with tartar sauce you will find the fish is absolutely delicious.
The BBC’s Watchdog had some laboratory tested for chemicals, poisons and bacteria and found the fish contained absolutely nothing. There are more chemicals in the vast majority of over processed junk food the vast majority of you seem to prefer. Be concerned about the over use of E numbers and preservatives, be concerned about the use of mechanically removed meat in the human food chain, be concerned about the use of hydrogenated fats, but don’t be concerned about the consumption of Vietnamese River Cobbler.
Simon
April 28th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Thanks Simon, my stomach suddenly got better. I like the taste very much! Great tasting fish.
April 28th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
you know what the problem is here? trusting the Vietnamese!
May 3rd, 2011 at 2:45 am
john Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 2:01 pm
The SKY IS FALLING. I’ve been in the seafood industry as a buyer, seller, importer and trader for 15 years in the United States. The EU has the highest standards in the world for illegal chemicals, compounds, and antibiotics. Last I checked, France is in the EU. Every load of seafood must be inspected, and a random sample from EACH lot must be tested in an EU-endorsed laboratory to detect the author’s described poisons. If it possesses these poisons/antibiotics/chemicals, the whole load is rejected.
When it comes to sustainable aquaculture, only a handful of seafood can be raised: catfish, tilapia, hybrid striped sea bass, rainbow trout, shrimp, crawfish, and salmon are about it. Readers, think about it; to compare feed fish to fish to the feeding of bovine byproducts to bovine (cows/steers) is ridiculous! Bovine eat grass naturally – they are omnivores. Meat is not part of a bovine’s natural diet. Fish do eat other fish as part of their natural diets; they are carnivores. Perhaps if Pangas were being fed turkey meal, they might contract the bird flu????
Get a grip on reality. The world’s wild Pollock and Cod fishery has been severely over-fished, and its supply is wholly inadequate to meet the world’s needs. Aquaculture is the only way to meet the world’s needs. Vietnam is at the forefront in the fight to promote safe, eco-friendly farming.
The largest export market in the world for Pangasius Hypophthalmus (called Tra, Sutchi Catfish, or Swai in the US) is the United States. There has not been one reported incident of illness caused by this species. Same goes for Pangasius pangasius (called Ponga in the US). Same for Pangasius bocourti (called Basa in the US). Oh, same with shrimp, either Panneus Monodon (Black Tiger) or Panneus Vannamei (White shrimp), oh, same as with Tilapia, and on and on and on.
Mercury becomes an issue only when consuming seafood at the higher end of the food chain. Tuna and many sharks, as an example, possess a real risk of mercury and other compounds because they eat fish that eat smaller fish, that eat smaller fish, that eat smaller fish and so on. The mercury is concentrated in such types of fish. This is not so with Ponga.
Readers, please do your research to get the facts, rather than taking this one lunatic’s propaganda as fact. What he/she presents as fact is far from the truth.
– What he said!
May 5th, 2011 at 2:21 pm
Haha, we sell thus exact type of fish at the pet store where I work! They are ugly bastards, all bulgy-eyed and scrawny. That alone was what put me off, not the crazy rants above.
May 6th, 2011 at 11:15 am
My husband and I had this fish the other night, grilled it with a little butter on top and it was lovely – no funny after effects and something I would definatly buy again.
May 11th, 2011 at 11:42 am
I have eaten this fish every other week for 3 years, since I first read this page. Every time I eat it, I get nausea and vomiting and go cross-eyed. On the weeks when I don’t eat it, I’m fine. How much proof do you need? These fish are evil. One other thing… @John: Cows eat grass and are therefore herbivores, not omnivores. Pigs are omnivores, because they eat anything – even the rubbish you find on the internet, which is why pork must avoided ast all costs, except Chorizo, which is very tasty (Leviticus).
May 11th, 2011 at 3:12 pm
[...] Pangasius has a horrible reputation where I live. Check here. But some people think it's a hoax. Either way, to me it tastes like mud so I avoid it like [...]
May 13th, 2011 at 10:10 am
I just ate the fish and I thought that this one tasted really nice. Will see what happens
May 16th, 2011 at 3:17 pm
you people are mental this fish is safe to eat
May 16th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
This is a very sad article- short on facts and big on fear-mongering. It reminds me of other laughable assertions that some people make, like this one: if you leave a nail in a glass of coke, it’ll rust. The insinuation, of course, is that sodas are not good for you. (If sodas can dissolve iron, guess what terrible things they’ll do to your body!) Now, I know Coke isn’t a naturally healthy drink, and as such I drink it sparingly, but I also know that it’s not going to dissolve my stomach linings. Nor does it dissolve iron, btw.
I am familiar with Pangas and also the farming methods used to raise them. They’re reaching popularity in The West for good reasons: they’re easy to raise, they’re tasty, and they’re healthy. Another reason why Europe and America are reaching for farm-raised fish from Asia is because we’ve over-fished the crap out of our oceans. That aside, a statement like: “They’re fed dead fish remnants and bones, dried and ground into a flour, from South America, manioc (cassava) and residue from soy and grains…” as a means to suggest that Pangas is unhealthy is the height of stupidity. Halibut eat anything they can put into their mouths, including their own. Oh, God! Are we about to face an epidemic of Mad Halibut decease?
Yes, Pangas are fed fishmeal, as are other farm-raised fish and shellfish, both in the East and the West. It’s a high-protein mixture of small marine fish, discarded parts of fish such as heads and bones, shellfish, shells of clams and snails, all dried and ground up. It’s a common practice in the fish-farming industry and, properly done, healthy.
Then, there’s the whole section about poison, industrial chemicals, etc, etc. As another poster before me already pointed out, the EU has the strictest guidelines for imported fish anywhere in the world. Any hint of contamination (antibiotics, chemicals, etc.) would immediately result in the rejection of a batch, and ultimately a sanction against the farm(s), or all the farms in the country where the tainted fish originated. All these quality controls are performed at the source, long before a container of fish hits the road, and rechecked at its destination.
I could go on ad nauseam about the ignorance of the author of this article, but I’ll save myself the trouble. I simply don’t understand what the author was trying to achieve by writing this article; but whatever it was, it’s childish at best, and irresponsible at worst. Ultimately, it’s a terrible waste, because the author lost the opportunity- and the legitimacy- to talk about the many other serious issues surrounding our global food industry, such as environmental degradation, exploitation, criminal behavior, and greed. All those things, and many more too. Shame on you, author! And, to the readers, do your research and make your decisions based on sound, defensible facts, not a serving of tripe as is being offered here.
Disclaimer: No, I am not, even remotely, involved with the food industry. I have, however, witnessed (and documented) the devastating effects that fish-farming can have on local communities and their indigenous population. Next time you order a shrimp cocktail, try to remember that there is a poor farmer somewhere in a third-world country who lost his ancestral land, and possibly even one of his own family members, to bring you a bite of this delicacy.
May 18th, 2011 at 5:06 am
There is nothing wrong with the fish PANGASIUS HYPOPHTHALMUS itself.The fault lies in the unhiegynic breeding conditions.I do’nt have to eat the fish to become ill, just seeing the murky water of the most polluted river in the world is enough.
May 21st, 2011 at 8:34 am
I just ate this fish today with my mom and now that I read this article I wish I didn’t eat it.
I don’t know if I have a strong stomach.. I think I do but my mom doesn’t.
May 25th, 2011 at 7:17 am
Most grateful for the info and alert which has opened my eyes about the type of fish which incidentally I always resisted from purchasing when I saw it in Tesco.
After I realised that my wife had bought it I got curious to learn about what I am about to eat so I instinctively went on the Internet and googled ‘cobbler’ which yielded this site of yours. I was shocked about the bacteria infestation and effluence contamination of the fish which led me to pass it on to my neighbour’s dog. Thanks again. Keep up the good work.
May 28th, 2011 at 12:27 am
Dear All,
Please Note: “The information passed above is all fake and irrelevant. People often use ways to promote their websites on basis of the on going trends in the Market”.
The Fish Supplied to Europe and across the globe is certified by various Health, Hygiene & Quality Standards like: HACCP, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001:2004 BRC, IFS, HALAL & NAFIQAD.
Please also take this into account that the government of any nation continuously thrives for health safety and uses precautionary measures. Like they have fixed an European Standards which are followed all across the world. These are the Lincenses which every Processing Unit obtains. Like wise every plant has a different license number for example: DL 400, DL 49, DL 32 etc…
Lastly, I too am a consumer and after reading the above shit i went to survey the whole industry. But what i found was a different scenario.
“You know whats best, after all its a Consumers choice”
– Mohd Naumaan Sheikh
May 30th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Got this at Tesco, Winchester branch in UK. Thought it was a strange name for a fish. Didn’t realise that it had ‘history’. Still hope that Tesco wouldn’t sell anything unsafe (yes, perhaps I am foolish). Tasted OK. Oven cooked for 12 minutes, slight coating of oil. Smothered in cheese sauce. Tasted OK. No after affects.
Note: My mother has the most sensitive bowel in the whole history of humankind and if she was unaffected then that tells me it’s ‘probably’ safe. Although I will have ask the person at the fish counter a little more about this fish….I do remember her telling us that it was probably farmed, hence the cheap price. She also said that it was popular…which must mean that people in Hampshire (where even the gardeners drive round in Rolls Royces) are looking for a bargain in the current ecenomic gloom – god bless you Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg & Davide Camerone.
June 3rd, 2011 at 8:41 am
I have eaten river cobbler loads of times and alway buy it when it is reduced and normally freeze and very any ill effects
June 5th, 2011 at 5:21 am
Wow. I stumbled upon this article when looking to confirm the name of the Panga fish as I was mentioning my recent ‘lucky’ discovery in a blog post. When I first read it I was scared, I’ve bought it twice now – from a local fish monger – and we loved it. We did not spew it back out. (May I note that my husband and I had violent food poisoning a few years back and we swore it was a pate we ate, however it was tested and it was fine. You never can be sure what is making you ill.) My husband who does enjoy his food but rarely says so commented on what a delicious fish it was. So I was hugely bummed to read this. However, I did note that it was written three years ago, and the comments by those few who seem to be sufficiently informed have put my mind at ease. Mostly. I will bring this up when I visit the fish monger again and discuss it with my husband. We have a 5 year old daughter so we have to be overly cautious when presented with such information. However, if this article is baseless and the fish is perfectly fine, I will be really peeved for the ruining of my enjoyment of this cheap and delicious fish! I am not naive in the slightest but do think there’s something in the notion that if it were truly toxic EU countries would not be importing it. Three years on it’s still sold. That must mean something?
June 6th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
This is complete bullshit ive been fucking this fish in the ass for several years, and this fish is filled with pussy from analshowers.
dont hate with dicks
June 7th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Are you freaks kidding me? This article belongs on the Daily Mail website. Everything you’ve written about sounds like EVERY OTHER INDUSTRIAL MASS PRODUCTION method of supplying low-cost fish. You are delusional if you think the majority of rivers freshwater fish are caught in are clean, and being fed “unnatural” feeds is standard, as are the methods of producing hormones. Most drugs and medicines you either buy in a drugstore, that are used in hospitals or are used in industrial food production do not come from a clean, natural, savoury source.
Your concern over this fish seems to be as much to do with its unfamiliarity as it does with anything legitimately wrong with it. Perhaps you should look into how the majority of farmed fish you buy is produced (and meat, come to that) before fearmongering over biotechnology that has been around for eons.
June 8th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Another idiot without a clue. The unknowing person reads this and may think it is real. The misinformers and the misinformed always stick together and feed of each other. The fish in question in this “article”(progaganda) has nothing really to do with it, only a medium to participate in the ill relationship of feeding and eating misinformation. Refuting the contents of this piece is pointless for the reasons stated above. Its like the big mercury scare in swordfish, grouper, tuna, wahoo, etc. NEVER has there been a case reported that was in fact true mercury poisoning from these mentioned fish. This is the same with the pangasius catfish. Think about it, this lame blogger is somehow ahead of all the governments on this and research companies on this? This is just a case of an individual professing there weak “feelings” as if it was concrete truth and fact. If you get sick from this fish it would be because it was handled wrong in preparation, you can blame that on the producer if you want but really it would be your fault for knowing knowing enough about the product to either recognize it was handled wrong(which is possible but NOT likely), or more statistically probable that last person to prepare this product for consumption handled it wrong(you, your friend/family, chef, etc.). This is just another damn catfish that benefited from excellent marketing strategies and support form governments in the import and export markets. In any case whatever your motive is in publishing this bullcrap, just that, a motive and bullcrap.
June 9th, 2011 at 5:40 am
If you honestly think huge companies like that are going to risk their reputation then you’re mental. Worry about something else!
June 12th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I had panga from my fish & chip shop it was on special offer 2 for £5.0 & i feel fine its just like cod.
June 13th, 2011 at 3:19 am
Ok, this simply made me sick! Don’t know what is more grotesque; them making money on this kind of “food” or us buying and consuming it… I think I’m not gonna eat anything today.
June 13th, 2011 at 8:10 am
With all the positive reviews I’m not afraid of trying this. The illnesses might have been caused with whomever cooked it and how it was cooked.
June 15th, 2011 at 4:03 am
Have bought this many a time, it’s simply a decent affordable fish(ask your local fishmonger for decent information, not the net – you’ll get a million differing, wrong opinions)
More in life to worry about!!
June 18th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Anyways, despite all of the bickering above….Any recipes as I am starving and my lovely fillet is winking at me from the fridge !!
June 18th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
I found this website yesterday after I had already bought a river cobbler from Tesco. At first I was worried about it, but after re-reading the statements within the article, I came to the conclusion that this was a very badly researched and ill-informed report and a load of rubbish (or cobblers if you like!) – especially the bit about fish being fed fish and the example of BSE… um so what are fish supposed to eat, if not other fish?!
So anyway, I just had the smoked cobbler for dinner tonight and it tasted amazing, really meaty and flavoursome. I dressed it in butter and lemon juice and then baked it wrapped in tin foil. I used the juices from the fish when it was fully cooked to make a sauce, adding crème fresh to thicken it. I served it with steamed baby potatoes in a butter and herb dressing, and garden peas. Lovely!
I cooked the fish for longer than suggested on the packet, just to make sure – but I am sure I will be okay. I will let you know if I get ill.
June 20th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
I had three large pieces of this fish for lunch yesterday – more than 900g frozen – and it was so good I just couldn’t stop eating!
Haven’t noticed any after-effects yet, except for this glowing superzit on my forehead, but I’m not complaining, because it serves as a convenient night light while it’s there. I guess if it goes away I’ll have to have some more Pangasius…!
June 20th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
I tried this Basa fish last night for dinner and I started vomiting 2 – 3 hours after I finished. I still feel awful today and will not be buying it again. It might be cheap to buy but it is surely not worth it.
June 21st, 2011 at 3:37 pm
I wonder how they can manage to catch the female fish to inject them and let them loose again… The picture looks like the people are holding the fish down.
June 22nd, 2011 at 11:58 am
What a load of horseshit!!! Basa is as safe as any other raised fish. Got sick after eating it maybe you need to learn how to handle and properly cook food. My family and I eat this fish on a regular basis and have never once been sick and never heard of anyone getting sick from basa fish. Any fresh fish can make you sick if not properly stored and cooked because of bacteria it can acquire if not kept at proper temperatures.
June 28th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
you bunch of idiots will believe anything!! If you knew how milk is produced, or sausages, or the things that are added to every single food that we buy from a supermarket nowadays you would die of starvation.
I eat this fish almost every day and i do buy from TESCO ,I love it, no side effects whatsoever. Maybe, maybe it was the fish but most probably the reason why you were ill is because it wasn’t cooked properly not because of the fish species.
July 5th, 2011 at 11:52 am
Really? I live in Viet Nam and eat Tra/Basa fish quite a lot, and so far I havent been sick once. I found quite a lot of this article to be misleading. Firstly the Mekong is much less polluted than it was, with government initiatives in the last few years forcing companies to pay for the clean up of their own contamination. Look to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, river Ganges, Yangtze, Liao or Hoai for real pollution. The people here are much more environmentally aware than you would think, with new initiatives and clean up projects all the time (only to be expected for a country with their history of contamination and chemicals).
Secondly most fish are actually grown by small family farmers and co-ops, with only a few large corporations, which is the pattern over most of Viet Nams agriculture.
Thirdly these days VN is increasingly sourcing its animal feed from inside the country (they are actually quite aware of their dependency on imports and the government has issued directives to encourage and subsidize local products). I happen to know the CEO of one of the VN animal feed companies, and they use a minimum of chemicals and as much re-cycled natural organics as they can. Imported chemicals are actually more expensive and reduce profits compared to the readily available local alternatives.
Fourthly, not that it really needs saying again, but fish eat fish. Thats normal.
Fifthly (god I am going on here) Viet Nam IS trying to develop their agriculture and aquaculture to the extent that they become a world leader. They are deadly serious about this. The government here is spending millions of dollars setting up research and educational institutes, and they are moving towards the forefront of the industry. As a country they take enormous pride in their ability to grow food, and are very much determined to be THE best in the world. To that end all of their exports to the west are rigorously checked, and have to comply to numerous ISOs before they can be sent.
Hugely misinformed article. Sorry if I responded in the wrong order, but there were so many wild inaccuracies I wasnt sure where to start.
Long story short: This article is wrong in almost every respect. Tra/Basa fish is not only cheap, it is being farmed sustainably with a minimum of chemicals, and tastes delicious. Especially steamed in coconut sauce with sauteed watershoots.
July 7th, 2011 at 2:12 am
The scare tactics work!! But only on those with sick minds………….those with healthier thought processes will never ever have any sickness from consumption of this fish.
Am in the hotel / restaurant industry and have never come across any negative feedback about Basa at all, in fact there have been quite a few compliments since we began serving this in myriad dishes in various cuisines. Whatever the combination of ingredients that we used to prepare this fish, only made it even better.
Was forwarded this article by an industry colleague recently & thought that I must throw in some of my professional integrity into the debate.
Go on & enjoy this fish!
July 8th, 2011 at 4:01 am
iv eaten this fish, and i didnt no it at the time,until i asked , there seling it at alton towers its nasty n crap, we should no wot were eatin not flobed off to think its cod n they charge 7.25p for it n all i got my money back,
July 8th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
I live in montreal Canada and I always see this fish at my local IGA. It was like $7.99 a pound last time I checked. To show you how fucked up that is a lb of sol is like $6.99. I can literally get atlantic salmon at the same price. It’s supposed to be cheap so I wonder what the markup is. It’s just sad the poor vietnamese people that farm these hardly make money while supermarket chains rake in the profit by poisoning consumers. If you thought beef production was inhumane this shit is insane. There’s almost more fish than water in those ponds.
July 10th, 2011 at 5:23 am
THESE FISH ARE RAISED IN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!!!
READ THIS LINK BEFORE EATING!!!
http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html
July 12th, 2011 at 10:11 am
I am cooking this Swai fish for dinner tonight. Friends have purchased and cooked this fish and said it was very good. I hope they were right.
July 13th, 2011 at 7:32 am
I bought fish from tesco, it was labeled River Cobbler, so i thought i try it, while i was cooking it thought i look it up on line, after reading all the details,IT WENT DOWN THE LOO, i intend to speak to the manager of my local TESCO about this ,POISON.
July 15th, 2011 at 2:17 am
If you don’t want to eat this fish then DON’T buy Young’s Frozen Fish Fillets without reading the ingredients label. (I only ever buy frozen fish if it says ‘Cod’ or ‘Plaice’ or whatever.) I say this because Youngs use this disgusting fish too. I checked the label myself and they said that according to whatever was available as a source, one of three fish types is used in that particular packet of fish. A for Alaskan Pollock, H for Haka (I’ve never even HEARD of that one! and finally B for Basa fish, the dreaded cobbler fish from the Mekong. Needless to say when I checked the packet in my hands it stated that the fish inside was labelled B for Basa fish. And this is a well known and respected frozen fish company. I’m not saying Youngs is the only one to sell it, but they are as guilty as the French here.
July 18th, 2011 at 9:50 am
There is nothing about this fish that is any different from any other farmed fish. Salmon, Sea Bass, Cod, all of them have the same issues.
Pangas is actually one of the most ‘green’ fish to farm They are mostly vegetarian (fish protiens are much less fed than with other farmed fish) and they have one of the highest feed/lb of filet ratio. They require much less space to farm because they have much lower oxygen requirements than other fish. They breed readily and often. They are one of the most sustainable fish out there. The person who wrote this either has alternative motives or is just uninformed.
Ignore this unless you want to stop fish farming all together, because these are one of two (tilapia being the other) that are actually sustainable.
July 19th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
Absolute rubish…this fish has been sold in the U.S. for may years and there has never been any reports of any illnes or chemicals in this fish. I have personally consumed this fish for over 7 years and have had no ill effects. This fish is very tasty and can be preparred in many forms, with many flavor profiles.This web site is much like a 20-20 episode, where they find one bad place and portray it as it would occur everywhere.
July 19th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
I bought this fish from Publix,it was frozen and inexpensive, my wife and I had it last night, broiled W/lemon pepper. It was pretty good. We did not get sick.So maybe others who got sick didn’t do something right, cant say. I have more and am looking for new recipe’s.
July 21st, 2011 at 4:27 pm
TOTAL SCARE MONGERING RUBBISH !!
I cooked this for tea tonight and it was lovely. I’ve had it before in BBQ skewers and they were nice too.
Cook it properly and enjoy it, and stop talking nonsense.
July 22nd, 2011 at 7:52 am
I was in a Greek supermarket this a.m. and saw Pangasius in the freezer, not sure what it was I ‘googled it’ (as you do) . When in UK I regularly buy Smoked River Cobbler from T and it is always delicious & eaten without ill-effect. I read this article with interest and all the subsequent blogs, so will forward it to F & F for their info.
July 30th, 2011 at 5:30 am
inject with hermons to grow faster and lay more eggs ???? thats totally wrong
pangasius dont breed in captivity they have to injected with hermons to simulate and force it to breed and lay eggs
thats a thing and the rest is just non sense
August 2nd, 2011 at 2:03 am
This fish has been eaten millions of times by millions of people over the past 10 years.
Number of confirmed cases of illness as a result of eating Basa/Pangasius?
NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you eat Basa and get sick you either havent cooked it properly, dont wash your hands after you go to the toilet or it was something else that you ate.
This poorly referenced “article” by authors unknown is a HOAX.
August 3rd, 2011 at 3:12 am
If this Pangasius Hypophtalmus is full with “rubbish”, why the Australian government don’t do anything to prohibit the importation of the fish? We can find them easily in the Asian shop.
August 9th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
In Turkey Tesco – Kipa hypermarkets sell Panga. I had never heard of Panga before 8th of August. When I saw it, it resembled sole fish and didn’t hesitate to buy it. We are a family of three adults; none of us lived any stomach problem. I prepared it like shish kebab with tomatoes and green pepper. It was delicious.
August 10th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
THIS IS A BIG LIE, WHO EVER MADE THIS WEBSITE AND PUT THESE PICS AND SAYS SUCH THINGS TO THIS FISH, THEY ALSO DO THE FISH BUSINESS, THEY WANT THIS BASA FISH (PANGASIUS) NOT TO SALE ON ANY KIND OF MARKET ANYWHERE THAT CAN GIVE GOOD DEAL TO PEOPLES EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD, THIS WEBSITE MADE MANY VIETNAMESE FISH FARM HAVE BANKRUPTED AND SUFFERED FROM THIS BIG LIE, JUST FOR HIM TO SALE HIS OWN FISH.
WHY THIS FISH IS SO CHEAP AND RESONABLE AND VERY VERY AFORD TO EVERYONE?
AS YOU KNOW VIET NAM AND CAMBODIA IS A TROPICAL COUNTRY AND ALSO THIS 2 COUNTRY LOCATED IN THE END OF THE MEKONG RIVER, VERY GOOD INVIROMENT FOR THIS KIND OF FISH TO GROWN.
TO BE THE BAD DIRTY COMPARETITION SO THIS MAN (LADY) HAVE TO PUT THIS KIND OF WEBSITE TO THREAT ON PEOPLES’S HEALTH TO DESTROYED HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS OF PANGASIUS FISH FARM BUSINESS THAT THEY HAVE INVESTED MILIONS OF USD TO BUILDED FACTORIES, FARM FOOD SUPLIES FOR THEIR OWN FARM. THIS IS SUCH A CRUE AND RUDE AND UNACCEPTED THE WAY TO DO AOMPARETITION MARKET AND PRICE. ONE DAY THE COD AND MANY OTHER FISH HAVE RUN OUT IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, OR THE GOVERNMENT STOP DO FISHING BEFORE NOT ONE OF ANY COD HAVE LEFT, LET’S SEE WHAT IS THIS MAN WILL DO FOR HIS FISH BUSINESS. HE PROBABLY GO TO VIET NAM AND MAKE ANOTHER WEBSITE TO SAY BRAVO FOR THIS PANGASIUS AND HE SING THE SAME SONG TO SAY GOOD ABOUT THIS TROPICAL PANGASIUS.
WITHOUT PROVED BUT HE ALREADY BRING DOWN OTHER PEOPLES BUSINESS WITH HIS 3O CM OF HIS TONGE, WHAT IS DANGROUS? WE HAVE TO THINK, THIS FISH OR THIS MAN. SUCH A MOROON, SILY, BRAINLESS…
August 11th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Well…………..no more worries as River Cobbler has been withdrawn from sale at Tesco’s!!!!! I have eaten this fish many times in many months and never been ill. It is quite delicious and easy to prepare. What a shame and all for the sake of a scaremongering ill informed report.
August 13th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
I ate 2 fillets of Swai fish last week with onions and had a TON of gas! No stomach pains, vomiting or diarrhea, but this is the first time that’s happened. I’ve had it several times before with no gas; oh well…I guess it must have been the creamed spinach that I had on the side…
August 14th, 2011 at 4:55 am
STFU pangas is tasty and OK! it isnt unhealthy
August 20th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
diz is bullshit i workd n a fish market since i wus 14 n never heard of dis shit n after readn all these others peoples comments i c dat whoever put dis together is a retarded mongolode . ty muddy water
August 21st, 2011 at 11:51 am
The franchise “Pizza Express & Subs” just opened where I live, I saw the Fri & Sat night special is Fish dinner.. so I inquired what kind of fish they were serving… The Mgr replied “it is Striped Pangasis/Swai from Vietnam”.. The company (Pizza Express & Subs) distributed by “Cysco Foods” sends it, we just cook and serve it… I am soooo very glad I chose not to eat it
August 23rd, 2011 at 1:26 pm
I had youngs gastro basa last week and suffered the worst fever, vomiting and diareah ever. The pain was unbelievable. I didn’t know it was the fish til a week later when I had some plain basa. Two hours later it all started again. Then I realised that it was the basa. My mum was ok bit I was in agony. Maybe it’s toxins in the fish that affect some people!? I’ve never had a reaction to any other fish.
August 24th, 2011 at 11:45 am
I think some of you :might: be confusing Pangasius for Pretiosus, aka Escola or Castor Oil fish.
Pretiosus often produces food-poisoning type symptoms in diners. See:
http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2006/03/escolar-fish-with-caveat.html
I sell an awful lot of Pangasius every week & have never, over 5 years, had any complaints. We cannot continue to offer Haddock or Cod due to price & public fears over diminishing stocks.
Pangasius makes wonderful fish & chips due to the no skin/bone but is also very versatile. The smoked version makes the best fish pie or Mornay. If you can make it with fish, you can make it with Pangasius. Which, incidentally, is waaaay nicer than Talapia according to my customers.
August 24th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
this fish the cobbler is by far one of the tastiest fish i have ever tried so much so that i bought a case for 13 quid 34 fillets to keep me going for next week or so, i have eaten the cobbler for the past three days and none ill effect,s .
August 25th, 2011 at 11:33 am
I’ve never read some many peoples bull5hit on one website, ‘oh i had some last night and i was so ill’ i’ll put my life on it that they never cooked it properly or that it was past is sell by date.
I’ve been eating this fish for 2 years now twice a week ( pan fried or battered mmmm) and ive never felt ill once ( that’s because i can cook) and shock horror it was bought in a uk super market.
stop the scare mongering ffs next thing i’ll read will proberly say something like ‘alcohols bad for you ‘ …. oh wait ……
August 26th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
After reading through ~700 comments, I am pleased to see the proportion of readers who rightly pointed out the lack of references and scientific data to back up claims made in this article.
Speaking as a trained scientist, many points can be refuted in this article. They are so glaring that it does not take a trained scientist to spot. Many points have already been refuted by clear-minded commentators.
* To the writer – what do you think lobsters eat? They scavenge dead rotting flesh. You don’t see people running away screaming about “unnatural” lobsters, do you? People usually run towards them AND pay huge amounts of money to eat them ^-^
August 30th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Basa or Swai is a wonderful fish, low in calories and high in Omega 3′s.
I eat it 3-4 times per week over the last 3 years and we have NEVER had any issues with it.
This article as others have said is worse than dubious. I suspect that there are ulterior motives behind it.
August 30th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
What a complete load of utter nonsense this whole piece is and many of these comments. If you got sick, you probably can’t cook properly or used an off piece of fish.
This is like those idiotic sites that promote raw foods and put up a bunch of anecdotes and junk science to scare you into thinking you’re gonna die if you cook your food.
September 5th, 2011 at 9:58 am
to all of you that thinks this is a load of rubbish I wish you could suffer as I have this last week and no I didnt cook it myself I ate it at a sizzling pub under the guise of fish and chips
September 10th, 2011 at 9:07 am
I always felt there was some undesirable reason this fish was sold so cheap, but I couldn’t fathom what. Until one day I washed a fillet over & over to remove what I thought was a stubborn piece of grit. It wouldn’t shift. On closer inspection I noticed that the grit like substance was actually in the veins/flesh and on a closer scrutiny, I noticed the whole fillet was infected. YUK!!! It’s no good just talking about it here though. We need to email our local trading standards, and spread the word far and wide among the public. For goodness sake, let’s get this filth banned from reaching unsuspecting dining tables.
September 12th, 2011 at 10:43 am
I live in Atlanta, GA and they sell it Kroger. It was very cheap (about $5.00) per pound. They were giving out samples trying to get ppl to buy. I’m glad i read this before I purchased them.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:32 pm
I’ve had this fish couple times a month over the last 2 years. You cannot beat the nutrition value it gives you (5g of protein per ounce with only 30 calories per ounce!)
September 14th, 2011 at 7:46 am
Fucking idiots! Where do you think all the rest of your food comes from? Farted out of an angels arse and lowered down to your plate on a cloud? There is nothing better or worse about this fish than any other you may happen to eat. Prawns and shrimps are bottom feeders and think of all the crap sitting on the bottom of the sea bed that they suck up every day. Durrr. Rather, think more carefully about the ten toms of other garbage you pump through your arteries every day including all that over processed white stuff (wheat, sugar??). Trans-fats!! It’s a bit of fish for goodness sake!
September 15th, 2011 at 12:26 am
Vietnam had and has a major problem with agent orange everyone has a right to feel unsafe from eating anything from vietnam
September 15th, 2011 at 8:04 pm
There has recently been an unsubstantiated report into high toxin, pesticide and cancer issues concerning Basa from mass farming techniques on the Mekong River in Vietnam. Tests by ASDA and Tesco in the UK have found no trace of contaminants. Test from AQIS found trace levels of malachite green but no other contaminants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basa_fish
September 16th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Please remove my comment, so I can edit it, thank you!
September 17th, 2011 at 7:13 am
wow, ate this fish for the first time in Switzerland and it was delicious, firm flesh, not too fishy (!), bit like dover sole. Googled to find out what it is. The swiss are very fussy about food quality so I think a lot of the above comments are dubious. Most eating disorders are due to hygiene well after the fish (or anything else for that matter) is caught and frozen. True the corporate food retail business has questionable (no) scruples,but we need mass farming to feed the mass population …
September 19th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
There are all natural, and there are unnatural.
Keep in mind, any competitor can come in here and post gibberish with the hopes of advancing their own business agendas.
This is like Target calling out Walmart for poor labor practices in China…but both companies purchase products from the same manufacturers…
September 23rd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
I saw this fish in chilean markets, imported from vietnam… scary…
September 26th, 2011 at 10:20 am
I have eaten pangasius several times and enjoyed it very much. I have never had any ill effects.
September 28th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
I read with amusement on the details stated.
If you are so health conscious, please be a vegetarian
but hey, veges now also consist of GM stock.
Crisis that regularly happened in western world comes when people are not even knowing what is happening and reporting unknowns as truth.
Unite and save the euro zone or soon, the euro zone will be no more… be more informed …
October 4th, 2011 at 7:40 pm
i live in the Philippines and i’m into pangasius business. my family and i have been eating and selling this fish for years and have not encountered any illness or bad effects whatsoever. the fish is really good and cheap… guys, it’s all in the mind… don’t blame the fish and bad mouth the business. we offer the best quality cream dory fillet from vietnam.
October 8th, 2011 at 9:04 am
this fish now are marketable globally.
October 12th, 2011 at 9:05 am
Bought a pack in Coop in Zurich, wanted to know more and read this.
Now chucked it in the bin and will eat something else instead.
Food is diabolically expensive in Switzerland. Pangasius seemed quite reasonable. But this stuff comes from Vietnam and I thinj it is best used for landfill,
October 12th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
YOU ARE ALL FORGETTING ABOUT THE WORST POLLUTANT OF ALL AGENT ORANGE WE DUMPED TONS OF THAT CRAP IN VIETNAM THESE FISH ARE BOTTOM FEEDERS SIMILAR TO CATFISH….. IT’S YOU’RE NERVOUS SYSTEM …DEMAND ANSWERS…. WE’RE NOT SHEEP…..GOOD LUCK.
October 12th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
WELL OVER FIFTY YEARS AGO JACQUE COSTEAU WROTE THAT THE POLLUTION WAS SO BAD THAT HE WOULD NEVER EAT ANY TYPE OF SHELLFISH FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
October 13th, 2011 at 9:16 pm
was reconnemended to try river cobble by tesco employee. never again . it was horrible. 2 mothfulls and it went straight in the bin and after reading comments here i’m now not sorry . i’ll stick with our old cod ect thank you . and pay what has to be paid for it . they can keep the cheap inported not known stuff
October 17th, 2011 at 11:14 am
damn ! i have eaten that fish for months great source of protein i was not ill .
i got a pair of them as pet fish several years ago
October 17th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Are you all crazy and and paranoid or what. I have spent a long time in Vietnam and eaten plent of this fish farmed and wild. Its fine and safe and I have never been ill from eating it (and I ate a great deal of it while living there). Yes it is farmed and fed food made from other dead fish but this fish is carniverous unlike cattle which are strict herbevores. You are slightly uneducated on this matter and need to find some facts not hear-say before spouting off. I am a Dr of biology and have no worries in eating this and also not involved in its production import or sale before I recieve emails saying this. I am just about to sit down to a fish pie that includes Basa, Cobbler or what ever else you wish to call it. Why not go to Vietnam and try it for yourself in a lovely traditional Vietnamese dish.
October 17th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Dehydrated pee????? What a load of crap. In no way shape or form are these fish injected with dehydarted pee. Oh and if they were can someone tell me what the harm would be. The females injected with a high concentration of HGH or estrogen in order to get them to ovulate more is fine its not like the non-breeding ones are injected to increase meat production you fools. x
October 25th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Lack of citations (and figures), use of weasel words and the fact you imply whilst freely admitting not to know for sure means this article isn’t worth shit.
You may have a good point, but this article is awful.
November 1st, 2011 at 1:07 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6N2SX51d7w
here’s a video in English about the fish farms on the Mekong river, for those of us who don’t speak french.
November 8th, 2011 at 5:27 am
This site is so fucked up the supermarkets have done tests on this fish and nothing was found but so many of you fuckwitts still say this fish should be banned because you have fell ill and think oh I must of been that fish I had, I have read most of the posted on here and there is nothing linking this fish to any illness apart if you maybe allergic to it Whitch some people maybe if so don’t eat fish. I have had this fish many times and I still live on as do my family.
So to all the folk that hate this fish and stay it should be banned I hope you choke on your man made processed food.
November 12th, 2011 at 7:10 pm
I have had this fish many times and never got sick off of it. From what you have wrote on this site to me does not apply to the fish that is sold by the major retailers such as Tesco.
The easy way to go about this is to use common sense. A supermaket is legaly obliged to sell only safe food items. Therefore people please do use your common sense and understand that what was wrote on this website does not apply to the fish bought at these supermarkets.
November 13th, 2011 at 8:06 am
I had some of this fish in France. I was not ill, no problems at all, but I didn’t like it. I had no taste at all, and was of a very slimy texture – I had it fried in batter, and the batter was beautiful, but I would have vomited if I had had another mouthful because of the texture.
November 24th, 2011 at 12:41 am
this is such propaganda. it is completely untrue. ive been eating swai for over a year (regularly). i ate it while i was pregnant, my daughter was born perfect, beautiful and healthy. ive never been sick from it once. neither has anyone else in my family that has eaten it. we all enjoy it, actually. it cooks up nice and is delicious. this article was written against vietnamese fish farmers because they produce a nice, cheap, and nutricious fish. whoever wrote this doesnt like that someone else is making out on something. there are no professional sources, hell, there are NO sources at all. people saying, OH THANK GOD I READ THIS ARTICLE, IM GOING TO BE A DUMBASS AND GO THROW AWAY SOME PERFECTLY GOOD FISH. you are all droids and need to read between the lines and realize what jealous and envious competition looks like. this fish is awesome. i would recommend it to anyone, and everyone i have recommended it to, has loved it. so go suck on some of your fancy expensive fish that is full of mercury.
November 25th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
IN AUSTRALIA this fish is commonly sold as Pacific Dory. It is in NO WAY related to the Dory family of fish and by calling it a Dory is only a marketing ploy to make unsuspecting people buy it. Customers will NEVER be able to purchase this fish fresh as it is always imported frozen. Pacific Dory is also very commonly sold as ‘Fish and Chips’.
Australia has quite strict health regulations on all food products sold here both locally grown and imported. However, not every fillet of fish is tested and as we know from watching available documentaries on Basa, one large shipment can be made up of many smaller purchases from varying growers. Therefore the sample which is taken from the shipment in customs when it arrives in Australia may not be a true representation of average toxicity levels across the entire shipment.
I urge all Australians to avoid buying this fish, ask what fish is served as ‘fish and Chips’, support the local fish market, buy fresh fish and even better…..pick up a rod and go fishing for fresh fish yourself.
November 26th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Normally the procedure to import goods have to have approve of offical departament;generally threis a certified .It is impotant to know what these departaments says about this huge confusion.
Who knows?
joao barros
November 27th, 2011 at 12:12 am
Take it easy! The planet is already stretched thin in order to feed 7 billion people. It’s not at all surprising to see such manufacturing processes. Everything on the earth is polluted now. We are all gonna die – sooner or later. The only question is how. So don’t open your eyes, keep them closed.
November 30th, 2011 at 9:09 pm
From fishmonger to scaremonger in just one short web research. My 2-year old daughter loves this poisonous poisson… Should I give her just properly industrialized fishfingers?
December 5th, 2011 at 5:58 am
Why don’t u go to Mekong Delta in Viet nam and see it by ur self how they raise their fish, before saying thing that you don’t know and not true about it.
That’s why you have 2 eyes, 2 ears, and only 1 fucken month.
December 5th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
This article is based on myth and not on facts. We are having this fish (imported from vietnam) in the middle east past 18 years. Life is goes on without single complaint from the local consumer.
December 6th, 2011 at 8:26 am
Had our hospital canteen sweet’n'sour fish, within hours developed stomach cramps and vomited through the night; felt completely washed out for a week. Aksed what the chef had used and it transpired that hte ‘fish’ was Vietnamese Cobbler. I didn’t think to ask, as the only fish I have ever seen on the hospital menu is cod, haddock and plaice. This fish is best avoided: it had no dscernable taste, is horrifically farmed, and for those with carp or catfish allegies a medical nightmare. We need consistent labelling of this fish and its products. But maybe this will only come with a gentle prod of farmers, manufacurers and restaurants from lawyers, as no one seems to give a hoot about product liability.
December 7th, 2011 at 7:18 am
Hmm, I too was looking for recipes as this fish is sitting in my fridge waiting to be explored by my tastebuds for the first time.
I already had a pang of guilt when I picked it up in the supermarket and realised it had been imported all the way from vietnam but I am interested in trying different fish in a bid to find something sustainable that I like. I am fully aware that salmon farming for example uses huge amounts of sea fish to feed the salmon and is therefore not as sustainable as it looks. I suspect there is a similar issue with all farmed fish and it’s tricky to be an ethical consumer in these times of austerity.
I am still going to eat this fish as I can’t bear to waste food that an animal has had to die to provide me with, especially when so many people around the world don’t have the luxury of choice like we do.
I will let you know if it causes me any issues but I won’t be showing this to my other half before I serve it up to him
December 8th, 2011 at 1:17 am
The information on this article is wrong and I am suprised why it’s been published on this website. My whole family eat this type of fish from the supermarkets for years, and we have never had any problems. As far as I’m concerned, in Vietnam, there are many closed value chain factory to breed fish, similar to the way some farmers grow mushroom in England. Thus, I think it is clean and safe to eat their products.
December 12th, 2011 at 3:36 pm
HEY GUYS, THIS ARTICLE IS A MYTH ONLY.
Here is the evidence:
http://translate.google.pt/translate?sl=pt&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.e-farsas.com%2Fpeixe-panga-perigo-para-saude-verdadeiro-ou-falso.html
and this is the text not translated:
http://www.e-farsas.com/peixe-panga-perigo-para-saude-verdadeiro-ou-falso.html
December 16th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
I Have been purchasing this frozen fish from a
local Fish Quay for well over 4yrs.
From then to the present day, cannot recall a
single episode of diarrhoea after eating this
scrumptious fish. Cheap, versatile, pleasant
tasting and even more appealing with a side-
salad with tartare/ hollandaise /seafood sauce
or even mayonnaise, to ever which you like best.
Try adding some shrimps /prawns or crayfish tails
to compliment the meal.
Honestly speaking, this fish is ideal fish to
feed the family in an inexpensive way and has a
variety of different ways to cook it which I have
personally, tried & tasted. (magic).
Opinion; Friends,family and myself included, have
suffered no ill-effects from eating this fish.
Scare-mongering to a vast fish eating continent is
not to be applauded.
December 24th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
We just had Panga fillets for dinner tonight in Tenerife. Delicious. We all need to be cautious with what we buy but this fish looked and smelled clean and fresh. Have you ever checked out farmed salmon that is often coated with a nasty grey coating? I have no problem with panga and will buy again. This article was interesting but of no consequence I just read it whilst searching for a new recipe.
December 26th, 2011 at 7:29 am
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A fish called river cobbler
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Post categories: Food and drink
Rob Unsworth – editor | 15:56 UK time, Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Watchdog has had several emails about a fish called river cobbler which is on sale at Asda and Tesco. It’s also on sale at Sainsbury’s where it’s called basa. It comes from Vietnam and its proper name is pangasius.
Some of you looked it up on the internet because you’d never heard of it before, and came across all sorts of horror stories claiming it’s fill of toxins, such as arsenic, toxic metals and harmful pesticides.
Lauren Antony from Lanarkshire emailed us to see if we could investigate this further and enlighten the nation, so we had a go.
Five tests
We sent a fish we bought in Asda to a lab, where the scientists did five tests to see if they could find some of the things the internet reports suggested they would.
The lab told us they couldn’t find detectable levels of any of those substances – which to all intent and purposes mean they weren’t there.
Now, as we only tested one fish, we can’t say the scare stories are a load of cobblers – but we found no reason why anyone should worry.
The supermarkets say they’ve done plenty of their own research too, and maintain that they wouldn’t sell any product that they weren’t confident in anyway.
December 27th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
I didn’t look at ALL the replies, but I did look at several and although I WAS afraid of this fish, I really want to know about the Omega 3′s and if this fish is a good source for it. I know Tilapia is WORTHLESS for Omega 3′s and I really don’t want to eat fish that has no, or very little Omega 3′s. Does anybody know?
December 28th, 2011 at 5:39 am
I totally don’t agree with the writer’s opinions at all.
I wonder if the writer have ever been in Vietnam and seen by his/her own eyes everything happening at Vietnamese Panga Fish Farms located in MeKong Delta or not. So unfair old-fashioned and unreasonable!!
I advise the writer should take a trip to Vietnam to widen his/her own eyes!
Pls note that your untrue unfair words may killed over 10.000 vietnamese honest patient friendly dedicated skillful workers/farmers’ lives (their own lives and their famillies)
December 30th, 2011 at 8:15 am
WOW after reading some of these comments, I have to say this, with all respect to most humans, if you all washed your hands before eating and stopped sucking each and every finger whilst eating, perhaps mr fishy might not always get the blame for bouts of sickness ! Drives me insane how dirty that is- may as well lick the toilet seat while you are eating…. that is all now back to other people – to have a long winded rant !
December 30th, 2011 at 11:59 am
Pangas are feeded with american prisiooneers left in viet nam!
American veterans are being used to make the food paste for pangas
January 1st, 2012 at 7:25 pm
My wife and I have eaten Swai from Food Lion stores in the USA about six times in the last 6 months. We enjoyed it and have had no ill effects.
January 3rd, 2012 at 5:50 am
I live in Thailand I eat this fish all the time and never had problem but now that I read that I am really worry:( but I dont know if this true?? This is a really good fish so I hope that all that is wrong…and just INTOX…
January 7th, 2012 at 6:20 am
Report on Toxins: extract from Wikipedia
There has recently been an unsubstantiated report into high toxin, pesticide and cancer issues concerning basa from mass farming techniques on the Mekong River in Vietnam.Tests by Asda and Tesco in the UK have found no trace of contaminants. Test from AQIS found trace levels of malachite green, but no other contaminants.
January 7th, 2012 at 8:21 am
we have purchased panga fish fillets [frozen] from a oriental super market in purley [surrey uk] wing yip .
i must say they were so cheap but great eating in batter and curried but best rolled in pollenta and deep fried with chips .
hello we are all still alive and yum they are good eating .
like cod but need a taste boost [sweet chilli sauce or just fish sauce]
we will continue to buy from wing yip .
ps wing yip is worth a visit as u can eat there sushie, chinese, vietnamese,or all indonesian food.
January 8th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
i ve just had this cooked using a gorge forman and i have to say i liked it yes it is cheap £2 for 2 fillets from asda. no side effects as of yet but i only ate it 1 hour ago.. so i will be buying it again. and if people wanna get put of by this fish just think what goes into sasages burgers etc the fact is no one is sure all we know is that you buy from a safe source like asda or tesco and its all fine and lets face it we all like burgers lol i ll post if any side effects
January 13th, 2012 at 1:29 am
i live in Scotland and went to my local tesco store i went to the fish counter and asked for 3 white fillets so i was then asked do i want to try a new fish the Vietnamese river cobblers so anyway cause it was cheap at the time well for 3 fillets i only paid £2.50 so not bad for the price and right as she was it had no bones at all i have been sick vomiting and had diarrhea my partner is currently in hospital he has been their for 3 days now after eating this fish he could not stop being sick and had a really bad case of the scoots and he is dehydrated and his temp went straight up he is getting a bit better day by day this is not a joke i wish it were this is caused by these fish we bought and eat it was perfectly cooked threw and was not off it was bought fresh and eat that day so please do not buy this fish buy from your local fish monger its safer and so much better a little expensive but at least you wont end up in bed for days or worse the hospital
January 14th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Just cooked and eaten mine from Asda. Nice fish. Let you know if my wife or I have any I’ll health. Nice fish, no bones or skin. I thought I was sparing some of the threatened fish. Ethically vegetarian is the way to go. But to keep my carbon footprint small I would need to be quite imaginative with spuds, cabbage and turnips all through the Scottish winter!:-)
January 17th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
I am sorry, but I find this article so trashy. If the incredibly cheap price of the fish makes YOU think that is why they are of no good quality, then that is because of the difference between Vietnamese currency and British Pound. Think of China’s dead cheap exports. About their feeding, do you find any proof at all about what they are being fed? We Vietnamese not only export this kind of fish but also eat them for so so many decades and I can tell you we have no damn problems. Article like this only damages our exports without even a proof. Get yourself straight and go get a life. If your rich, buy something better. Its your business.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Sh!!! Have eaten loads of it lately never been ill or sick yet gone of sex though perhaps I’m now sterile. Mind there person who though France would not contravene E.U rules for their own ends must live on another planet.
January 21st, 2012 at 5:41 pm
this fish is awesome, the only thing that could make this fish better is if we started calling it “Vietnamese River Cobbler”, we’ve been serving it in our restaurant for months and have had no complaints…the above article reminds me of the urban legend several years ago about how KFC chicken wasn’t really chicken.
January 23rd, 2012 at 11:09 am
Moro em campinas Sao Paulo, já comi centenas de pangas, frito assado cozido e ate cru uma delicia nunca me fez mal. Muito melhor que as tilapias criadas na estação de tratamento de esgoto de valinhos. Recomendo a todos.
January 24th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
i ate this fish today and really liked it ,i only checked up on it because it was so nice and fairly new on the market and priced very reasonable .i bought the frozen fillets ,,but what about the eels we eat in England these are bottom feeders also and they also are the filth of the river ! and live on ANYTHING dead ,but are classed as a delicasy in the East end of London although like the Basa are also farmed
January 26th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
I have bought vietnamese river cobbler for years and enjoyed it.It is more tasty than cod and at a fraction of the price.I and my family have never had any adverse reactions from eating this fish. I would definately buy this fish again from my local Tesco store, or from the market where i have purchased it before.
January 27th, 2012 at 4:05 am
Not sure if this is the fish I have been eating for the past year. It’s called Patin Fish in Singapore. So far, there is no problem with me and family after eating the fish. However, based on the above comments, people who got sick are probably allergic to the fish. I was searching if the omega in this fish is beneficial because there’s really a high amount of fish oil in this fish. Anyone know?
January 28th, 2012 at 3:48 am
http://www.chefs-resources.com/Is-Vietnamese-Swai-and-Basa-Safe
What to believe?
Go Vegan!
January 29th, 2012 at 2:10 am
Was looking for recipes as I bought some river cobbler from the reduced section at my local Tescos. I am not prepared to take the risk with my or my childrens health and will be disposing of this item immediately. I feel quite sick just reading these comments, and I feel that there is no smoke without fire. This photographic evidence must have come from somewhere, and I don’t necessarily trust that Tesco has our best interests at heart. Thank you for the warning. Going to root it out of the freezer right now.
January 29th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Its as good as any other wholesome food. It really matters that how you cook the food.
February 1st, 2012 at 8:50 am
Izzy, don’t they have punctuation in Scotland? Or capital letters? Or dictionaries?
February 2nd, 2012 at 11:11 am
Ever hear of MASS HISTERIA?
February 4th, 2012 at 9:12 am
we have this fish in the beefeater retaurants what a lovely tasting fish.if you enjoy eat it. To many people eat with there eyes or by adverts like this.go to a slaughter house you wouldnt eat anything.also i worked on friut and veg markets you wouldnt believe the things you can do to make that look good.eat forget the background
February 6th, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Where is all the bad reports and false information about this fish coming from? A little bit of investigation on the internet will give a different story. Try Wikipedia. Have a look at this report by the Australian Seafood Importers Association.
http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/news.item.php?pid=62
Do you think company’s like Asda, Tesco, Morrisons are going to sell contaminated food products without careful testing?
The photographs in the above report probably show local farming conditions for local consumption. I certainly would not eat these fish. I eat Cobbler
fish regularly bought from Asda and its delicious.
February 8th, 2012 at 10:42 am
What a load of unbalanced nonsense:
Google ‘”Whitefish wars” Little et al 2012′ for an informed opinion.
February 13th, 2012 at 1:00 am
I have been eating fish all my life, including “Swai”, as it is called here in SO CAL. I am now 65 yrs. old. Worked in commercial fishing for over 40 yrs. and have never had a problem when the product was properly handled. I have eaten this fish since I started seeing it in SO. CA. markets with no problems. With my seafood experience I have found that when people have a problem with seafood it is because of the way they handle it when they get home (usually) or the way the fish monger handled it before sale. Keep it cold (on ice)or in the refrigerator and eat the same day or next day or freeze it.
February 14th, 2012 at 11:08 am
This article completely based on poor science, it is biased, and the persons responsible obviously have zero understanding of what they are talking about.
I agree that we should be concerned about all species of animals imported to our countries and there are plenty out there that will not meet our standards and there are plenty of farms within our own borders that warrant similar concern. Focus on making sure our regulators are doing their job. Many of the practices commented on are used across the board in aquaculture industry and are well accepted. Don’t criticize what you do not understand. It’s morons like this author that make it difficult for people to make informed decisions based on what is ‘real’ not ‘perceived’.
February 15th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
I am a professor in Fisheries. A few days ago I purchased this fish from an international super store. I have the opinion that this is the cheapest and tastiest fish that I have eaten uptill now and I believe that the store providing this fish never compromise on the quality of this fish.
February 18th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
They served this crap at my school to 850 pupils until someone looked it up.
YUMMY SCUMMY urine
February 18th, 2012 at 1:20 pm
It’s actually the best fish I have ever had.
February 19th, 2012 at 8:50 am
I’m in Egypt, I tried this fish for few times and I loved it, then I came across this site when I watched something on TV about this kind of fish. I couldn’t go through the whole page as it is enormous, but what have u come up to guys, this fish is filed up in supermarkets in Egypt and I don’t know what to do, refrain eating it or carry on? to tell u the truth it’s delicious.
February 21st, 2012 at 8:19 pm
we bought this fish and cooked it with breading and didnt like it, and next we cooked it under a broiler and we still didnt like it the fish gave me a upset stomach, will not ever buy this fish in my life time ugly. we threw out the rest of it, bought it at sam club, i will take flounder, cod salmon and catfish, and my own fishing that i know its fresh,
February 22nd, 2012 at 1:56 pm
I’ve been studying aquaculture of Pangasius for my degree. There are few harmful chemicals in the fish or it wouldn’t be legal, and in such small quantities you’re more likely to get mercury poisoning from tuna. Vietnamese have been farming Pangasius for hundreds of years. And if you’ve ever bought ‘high grade’ cod, that is more often than not Pangasius, and I doubt unless you knew that you’d get sick (take Tescos and Asda as your examples). It’s becoming one of the world’s most sustainable and fast-growing industries, and I highly doubt that’s because people love getting sick. As for fish eating fish, has it escaped the common knowledge that there is such a thing as the food chain?! Tuna eat other fish, cod eat other fish, plaice, haddock, mackerel, whiting, squid, all manner of fish eat other fish. There’ll be such thing as vegan fish next! Pangasius are omniverous, so if you’re really that fussed you can source them from farms that feed them on biofuels such as rapeseed. I agree completely with Toby and Basa Nova. If you read this page and believed it first time, try looking at some scientific papers before you you go shoving a healthy, sustainable fish in landfill. http://www.scholar.google.com is a good start, and for those at uni try the Web of Knowledge and ProQuest. Read this if you want another opinion: http://www.worldfishing.net/features101/product-library/fish-farming/pangasius-shortage-to-hit-europes-whitefish-market
http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?128709-pangasius-fish
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/04/a_fish_called_river_cobbler.html
And as for it being bland, it tastes like cod cooked in butter.
February 23rd, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Reading many of comments here, I wonder if some of the people who say they are buying this fish fresh and cooking it the same day understand that THIS FISH IS NOT SOLD FRESH….unless you are buying it in Vietnam….so when did your local grocer thaw the fish that you think is fresh?
February 25th, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Well, Try this regarding BASA. We fed some to our 3 moggies (they love fish) but all 3 turned away and would not touch this so, we took a sniff test, checked the sell by date on the packet and all seemed ok. I then thought, I will look up BASA and lo and behold. Here I am. In addition, I now realise that although I can stomach just about anything after having traveled the world in the forces,I did eat some BASA last week and had severe stomach upset and the associated side affects. This could only have been the BASA as I had not eaten anything else. I will be printing this off and taking it into my local supermarkets and then on to Tesco HQ where I have some contacts. Dave B
March 1st, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Please read this articule!
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/opinion/harvesting-poverty-the-great-catfish-war.html?src=pm
March 6th, 2012 at 4:19 pm
I ate this fish while I was reading this article. Lol. I brought it from ALDI pretty cheap last week and I’ve had it a few times now with no problems. However after reading this I’ll prob not be buying it again.
March 12th, 2012 at 2:07 pm
This article is big on scaremongering and short on facts, The person who started this by sensationalising the basa, cobbler thing is a saddo, one of those who sits at his p.c. all day , probably jobless, and everso slightly paranoid and in need of fresh air and a good wash………The fish is delicious, I bought mine in ALDI, and we;ve been eating it for a long time. It’sensibly priced, and a full explanation of it’s being farmed in Vietnam is clearly printed on the pack…….My advice to consumers ? It’s good. My advice to the numpty freak who started this? GET OUT MORE. LEAVE THE POT ALONE. TRY MAKING REAL FRIENDS, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS,BEFORE SOMEONE SUES YOU.
March 15th, 2012 at 5:33 am
THIS IS A STRANGE ONE,FOR QUITE A WHILE AFTER A FRIEND SAID COBBLER WAS VERY NICE AND ECONOMICAL MYSELF AND MY WIFE ATE COBBLER,THIS WEEK I BOUGHT SOME MORE AT OUR LOCAL ASDA STORE,UNDER 10 HOURS I WAS VIOLENTLY SICK ,STOMACH PAINS AND MANY MANY VISITS TO THE TOILET FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.I HAVE MYSELF TRAVELLED ALL OVER THE WORLD, BUT THAT PARTICULAR DAY NOTHING ELSE BUT THE COBBLER FISH COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO BE SO ILL, I EVEN ASKED AROUND LOCALLY IF THERE WAS ANY GERM GOING AROUND,DEFINITELY NOT,I EVEN ASKED THE LOCAL DOCTOR!THIS FISH WILL NEVER ENTER OUR HOUSE AGAIN AND I WOULD ADVISE OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME,THE ONLY STRANGE THING IS WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG EATING THIS FISH TO GET ILL,MAYBE THE FOREIGNERS PUT BAD FISH KNOWINGLY IN WITH GOOD FISH CONSIGNMENTS SO THAT NOT EVERYONE GETS ILL,TOO MANY PEOPLE SICK,NO MORE SALES,MAKES SENSE TO ME.GOVERNMENTS MAY TRY TO TEST THESE FISH BUT IN THE QUANTITIES ENVOLVED LIKE ANYTHING ELSE THEY HAVE NO CHANCE.I WAS VERY SURPRISED BUT I FEEL THERE ARE A LOT MORE PEOPLE OUT IN THE WORLD WHO PUT THEIR ILLNESSES DOWN TO OTHER CAUSES , NOT THE FISH, AND THEREFORE DO NOT COMPLAIN,I GUARANTEE THIS IS A TRUE STORY AND ANYONE WHO WISHES CAN CONTACT ME WITH PLEASURE,
Raymond Tweedale.
March 15th, 2012 at 9:38 am
Don’t beleive this article. Notice how its all opinion and sorced or cited?
If you want good, general info on fish, please visit the monteray bay aquariam Seafood Watch as a good reference tool.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org//cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?fid=314
March 18th, 2012 at 8:22 pm
i eat this fish all the time and nothing bad ever happens i think people that make reports like this are probably working for companies that are getting undercut buy these yummy fish
March 25th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
After coming across this site I have to say that I’m quite staggered! I eat this fish on average twice a week and love it! I have suffered no ill effects to date and I purchase my fish from a number of different supermarkets and the local fishmonger/butcher. It probably sounds patronising but I suspect some of the posters on here may need to look into their own cooking skills and kitchen hygiene as possible causes!
March 27th, 2012 at 8:57 am
I eat this all the time too, if you had vomiting or some other sickness happen to you, it was probably due to something else. Don’t be stupid, use your brain, this is just another urban legend used to direct the market into more beef, which you should consume less of if you plan on living longer:
http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=61416
March 27th, 2012 at 10:04 am
A few months ago i bought some birds eye basa fillets coated in breadcrumbs. I thought they were delicious but immediately after eating them my son complained of stomach ache and spent the rest of the night vomitting. After that he would never eat fish in any type of batter or bread crumbs again. Last night i cooked some basa fillets without breadcrumbs (frozen from aldi) and immediately after eating them my son again started to complain of stomach ache and again spent the night vomiting. So today i looked up basa to find out what type of fish it was and was not surprised to read these posts about high toxin levels in the fish. I wont be buying it again.
March 27th, 2012 at 10:45 pm
well, i have been eating it for 2 months now and im not sick. other than reading about how its farmed, my biggest concern is if the japanese nuclear disaster is contaminating this fish. catfish are bottomfeeders, arent they? nuclear waste resides everywhere in the pacific and its only going to get worse. Im gonna bite the bullet here and just buy locally. more money but at least here we have fresh local farm fish, boosted with synthetic hormones. this world will never get it right.
March 28th, 2012 at 3:37 am
I ate bassa last night for the fist time at a local grill and have no ill fellings what so ever.
After reading this I will think twice eating it again. I do hope this is not true cause hell it was tasty.
March 31st, 2012 at 9:28 pm
I just saw rhis box in my kitchen, may b ma flatmate bought it. I ask google n luckily found this article. After reading this info im helluva scare to eat this thing.
April 1st, 2012 at 10:43 am
stupid research. go eat tuna in a can stupid research.
April 9th, 2012 at 6:22 am
It’s hilarious, but sad, to read so much hysteria about a fish! Wise people who are in the know have commented, and yet we still have the minions who blame diarrhoea and illness upon such.
I live in Thailand, and we eat this fish daily. Never have I had illness, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting from such a delightful light fish.
We get our source from said same river, supplied to Tesco Lotus too – the biggest of supermarkets in Thailand and Asia, as it happens, with the same standards world wide.
Scare-mongering is one thing, but for people to buy into it and blame all and sundry on one product – well, sorry, you’re just too complicated to be true!
What’s next? Urine fed ghosts?
Lom.
April 11th, 2012 at 11:46 am
Well Marie have you ever thought it could have been down to bad hygiene on YOUR part. My daughter myself and friends of ours all eat river cobbler and have NEVER had any ill effects.
I suggest you look at the way you prepare things as well as wash and dry them. If you have a dishwasher they are a well known source of bacterium and upset stomachs. Try not to be so blinkered. If it were the fish then the whole batch would have been contaminated as it would have been from the same source so many many other people would have been ill from that particular store not just the two of you.
April 14th, 2012 at 7:40 am
In the UK, Watchdog sent the smoked River Cobbler from ASDA to be analysed… Surprise! It was fine! Nothing was detected.
Stop with the rubbish!
April 14th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
For the past two weeks, I have eaten about 14 puunds of Swai Fillet sold at PriceSmart! I felt noting until now! Actually, I still have three fillets in my stomach now and feeling nausea now. What the FDA doing in USA? I need cheap potein sources, egg white, whey protein, and Swai fish. What is going on with the FDA?
April 17th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Guys… after reading all this untruth or maybe true commend i strongly recommend everyone should just eat high quality frozen fish know matter what fish.
the process of frozen fish will proceed at fresh. it can be kept it for 10-24month at -40 degree and still tasted real fresh… why eating all those rotted fish in the ‘fresh’ market that has been laying there for unknown time after defrost…
Make the smart choice.
April 26th, 2012 at 10:19 am
The source article is designed to create all sorts of negative feelings about the product. How it is possible that pregnant dehydrated women selling or donating their urine!!! To be used to extract harmones.
It is very natural to have allergy or develop allergy later in age from any type of marine life. Please get your self checked for various allergy groups including number of fishes. Don’t impose your medical issues un checked to spread in decent fear.
Yes in most part of the world, the effluent are disposed in rivers without treated, but it will damage all marine lives as well as meat of animals who drink water. Heavy mettals can be found even in vegetables if polluted water is sprayed from rivers.
There is a word BOD biochemical oxygen Demand, that is the minimum level of oxygen demand to sustain marine life. If the condition is so bad, no marine life can exist.
I am planning to get some fish samples to NHC in Pakistan, Islamabad and get the sample checked for such things.
April 30th, 2012 at 1:19 am
what a load of bullshit this fish tastes great and is raised in ideal conditions in viet nam.
conditions that are better than most found in the UK
May 2nd, 2012 at 12:40 pm
This complete rubbish. The majority of the fish sold in pubs as ‘fish and chips’ will be river cobbler. there is nothing wrong with this fish at all.
May 12th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
this is the biggest load of nonsense i have ever read! at least get your facts right before writing something this damaging about a sustainable fish farming network.
also, most fish eat other fish, especially fish in the catfish family like the basa / river cobbler. so feeding carnivorous and cannibalistic fish another fish is not going to induce a “mad cow disease” type epidemic in fish! mad fish disease?!
what a load of old cobblers!!!
May 17th, 2012 at 12:38 pm
No Vietnamese River hold the title of the most contaminated. If you cannot get that fact correct how do we know that you are sincere or even sincere but wrong. The Nietnamise Cobbler is a very good fish.
I do not know what axe you have to grind ….but….get a life
May 18th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Second time I have cooked on the past year. Liked it better than first time. Dip in beaten egg, lie in golden bread crumbs, oven gas8 preheated, 10minutes. Beautiful and I’m not really a fish fan due to bones!
May 20th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
[...] from. And why are they relatively cheap. So then he went on and told me about the possible risks of Dory and of farmed Tilapia. He says pick red tilapia over the regular black ones. So now I’m [...]
May 24th, 2012 at 5:32 am
[...] For those of you unaware of the great flavour and nutritional benefits of Panga, you can find them here. [...]
May 26th, 2012 at 3:03 am
Congratulations … you’ve eaten a terrible substance with no noticeable side effects. But how smart are you? When you come down with cancer, or MS, or leukemia, how smart will you feel then? Or maybe you’ll be the lucky one again, and the ones who get sick will be the spouse, parents and children you’ve been cooking for. How smart will they think you are, that you saved a dollar a pound at the expense of their lives?
Or maybe you’ll be lucky again, and it won’t be the cancers that directly kill them, but the chronic graft vs. host disease they catch from stem cell treatments they take, in their desperation to gain strength to beat their cancers.
And then you can tell yourself again that it’s not your fault. How smart you are, what foresight you have! You’re the very reason why corporate poisoners and thieves are destroying our world … there’ll always be people like you to lap up their poisons, dish it to their families, and say, “Thanks for the bargain; that garbage was delicious!”
May 27th, 2012 at 12:15 am
this is a service. I am very careful about my food and bought today and wanted to see what others have to say. Your site is what I found. DO NOT WAIT FOR EU OR ANYONE ELSE TO TELL YOU YOUR FOOD IS OK. Do your own research and decide. US has high standards, and the entire country is at risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke and more. Do not count on others to do your homework. Thank you thank you for this information to give me avenues to do my homework.
May 27th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Hanel Cung Cấp Dịch Vụ Sửa Chữa Tại Nhà Và Cơ Quan…
[...]Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole) | Diet Mind Spirit[...]…
May 28th, 2012 at 7:40 am
This is total bull. All fish imported or exported between countries undergo intensive tests.
May 28th, 2012 at 10:09 am
Well this debate started in 2008 its now 2012 and I already purchased cobbler today before finding this debate, I really dont know whether to eat it or not lol
June 5th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Here in Portugal, this so called cat-fish (peixe-gato) began to appear in stores for about 3 years; skinless and boneless, with beautiful appearance. The first time I bought, for a known brand over here (Pescanova), all without problem, only to be surprised that was a fish with little (or none) flavor. The second time I bought, but for a white label retail over here (Continente), while grilling the fish did so much foam that spilled out and made a nauseating odor; i complained at the retail store where I bought it and returned me the money of purchase. Never again. What a awful picture and smell. Although a chemical analysis of the Portuguese Association for Consumer Protection (DECO) in November 2009, it had no detected concerns (http://www.deco.proteste.pt/seguranca-alimentar/peixe-panga-sem-quimicos-s577061.htm) (choose Chrome to translate, if you wish), i’d rather not risk it. Cheers.
June 6th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
I’ve eaten lots of this fish. This articles doesn’t give any references and I think it is propaganda and misinformation towards making people buy British or European fish and if that is the case the author needs a slap because I fucking hate bullshitters. If you are going to write, give your fucking references so that we can verify claims and decide for ourselves. This is garbage. The author of this page doesn’t realize how stupid he/she/it are. Scaremongers. I liked this fish and I don’t need liars to fuck things up. Bastards.
June 6th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Give us some references if you dare. I bet you are a fascist racist troll who hasn’t got a clue what you are talking about and probably want people to ‘buy brit or euro.. I just checked The Mekong River. Turns out to be the most ecologically diverse river on the planet. Makes me wonder, how the fuck can so much eco-diversity occur in the presence of some many toxins. What the fuck are you talking about. Get a life.
June 6th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Truth behind propaganda campaign against Vietnamese Pangasius fish. By Mr. Dương Minh Trị seafood consultant in Vietnam
December 2, 2010 by qexpertise 1 Comment
Recently I’ve noticed an active campaign to promote negative propaganda about Pangasius (Basa, Swai, Striped Pangasius fillet) products of Vietnam. Certain parties are trying to condemn Vietnamese Pangasius products, one of the most tasty, nourishing and wholesome white meat farmed fish produced in the world. These people have used various means to make their claims seem legitimate, no matter how unethical they are, such as hiring secret crews to film biased and out-of-context footage that depicts unclear fragments of content. They then use this information to portray only negative aspects of the general image of Pangasius production in Vietnam.
Needless to say, we all know the culprits that stand behind this propaganda campaign. This is the same old story of an unfair attack generated by competitors from other countries that have conflicting interests.
Since the end of 90′s, thanks to great taste, consistent quality and reasonable pricing, the volume of Vietnamese Pangasius fillet (River Cobbler, Swai, Basa, etc) imported to US and E.U. markets has increased considerably. This is partially due to many restaurant chefs preferring to use Vietnamese Pangasius fillet after evaluation of quality.
The presence and acceptance of Viet Pangasius fillet products has angered some competitors. To fight against this, these competitors have been using mass media. They create propaganda materials including video footages, photos, and fragments of news from any available sources, no matter how unreliable and trustworthy these sources are, and use them to provide misinformation and distort the image of our Vietnamese Pangasius fillet products in the market place.
In November 2000, a delegation of about 20 visitors, including professors from the Auburn University (Alabama) and catfish raising and processing companies went on a fact-finding tour in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
They made detailed surveys of the actual conditions of feeding and farming, for fish both in floating cages and inland ponds. They also visited various processing plants. At the conclusion of the tour, they praised the farming technology and equipment applied for fish breeding, feeding and farming; and found no grounds to lodge complaint about food safety and hygiene conditions throughout the processing cycle. At that time, if the Pangasius processing industry in Vietnam had problems, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) would have banned the import of our Pangasius products, but this was obviously not the case.
After this fact-finding tour, competitors found that they could no longer request the ban of Pangasius import because of issues on food safety or hygienic conditions. Instead, they started using anti-dumping protectionism. In 2003 they won the first battle when US Department of Commerce (DOC) imposed a very high anti-dumping duty rate upon Vietnamese Pangasius products imported into US.
Since then, these same competitors have constantly provided misinformation through their propaganda materials.
I wrote this letter to provide some information to clarify the truth behind these false accusations:
I live in Can Tho City, the center of the Mekong Delta area. Millions of delta inhabitants have used drinking water from Mekong river for thousands of years and we will continue to use water from this river for the future.
We can be confident of the water quality because the Mekong River water is closely observed and monitored by the Mekong River Commission (please refer to http://www.mrcmekong.org for more information). It is also monitored by MeREM (Mekong River Ecosystem Monitoring), a project that began in April 2004 with the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. The monitoring is implemented by core organizations (University of Tsukuba and National Institute for Environmental Studies), sub-organizations (Tohoku University and Yamanashi University), and the International Committee of MeREM composed of 10 members from Japan, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam (please refer to http://merem.kasetsart.org for more information).
Since 1999, the US, FDA, and E.U. veterinary authorities have received regular findings of such inspection reports on the quality of the water in aquaculture areas of Vietnam and the findings on the control of toxic residues in Pangasius fish raised in Vietnam. These reports show that the indicators of residue of heavy metals and fertilizers collected from 30 stations in the Mekong lower reaches are much lower than the international permissible levels. Justifiably, because this region is still under developed.
In addition, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have long banned harmful fertilizers & pesticides.
The arguments that the Mekong River water is dirty, or that the river is one the most polluted rivers on the planet containing chemical and industrial waste are totally wrong.
Those making these accusations have clearly failed to provide any scientific proof to back up their assumptions. If there is such contamination, how could our Pangasius fillet product shipments have passed numerous tests made by US, FDA, and E.U. veterinary authorities at arrival ports?
Below are listed some overseas consumer’s comments, praising our fish:
Chef Bernie on March 22, 2010 said:
“We have been serving Pangasius for 6 years as a fried fish sandwich. It is one of our most popular dishes. I have never heard of anyone not feeling well after eating one. I get complements all the time that we have the best fish sandwich in the city.”
Brian Hanson on March 22, 2010 said in response to one of these propaganda articles:
“This article is ridiculous scare-mongering and utterly discredits. I eat River Cobbler regularly. I have never had any ill effects. I know at least a dozen other people who have eaten it with no ill effects. I stumbled upon this page through Google based on this I won’t bother reading any of their other reports.”
Writer’s notes: This article refers to the slandering propaganda posted on Internet. River Cobbler: another name of Vietnamese Pangasius used in US market several years ago.
Gary Scheldt on March 23, 2010 said:
“This is nothing more than propaganda from US and European industry protectionists who want you to purchase their more expensive product than the cheaper high quality imported fish. No sources, no scientific data, just outrageous claims which rely on people’s gullibility to believe them. Don’t be taken for a fool. As has been stated above, if Basa has been eaten by millions of people millions of times over the past 10 years where is the epidemic of poisoning? If it was dangerous why is it still being imported and passing ALL food quality and safety tests in all countries it is exported to?
Incidentally the Mekong river is snow melt from the Himalayas and is a fast flowing river it is probably less polluted that many US or European rivers. Don’t be played for a fool by people who want you to buy their more expensive product.
I hope above information helps to clarify the truth behind propaganda materials being presented to turn customers away from our Vietnamese Pangasius fish.”
What I say to these competitors of our Pangasius is Fair Play!
Dương Minh Trị
June 8th, 2012 at 5:29 am
I’ve been eating this fish and been feeding it to my 2 kids for a few years now.
Apart from it tasting bland, no problems whatsoever.
I would rather eat cod but it’s harder and more expensive to get over here in HK
June 9th, 2012 at 5:29 am
I am a fish specialist and the author of two serious, if pop-science, books about them, as well as the species entries for all the fishes in two major encycopedias, not to mention countless articles about fish.
The article is essentially true. I subscribe to a website that monitors food for the EU. EVERY WEEK, from somewhere in the EU, there is a Pangasius comnplaint, from bacterial infection arising from bad handling to illegal levels of harmful chemicals, especiazlly heavy metals. This is Chinese/Vietnamese quality control – do nothing until someone gets sick, then hedge, deny and blame other people,like the overworked food monitors in the countries involved. Go on, everyone, Google it and find out how many there are for the 60 million Brits! You won’t need to take your shoes off to count them.
The most asinine comments here are the ‘I ate some and I’m OK’ ones. Bacteria might make you ill quickly, but the environmental poisons build up in the body and act over time. You pay for such ignorant contrarianism with bone disease, cancer, impotence and brain degeneration in not-very-much-later life.
The point that ‘it’s not just Pangasius’ is well made. Lots of our food comes from horrific sources and contains truly vile things. The more you look, the more the BUY LOCAL slogan becomes attractive. If you buy something bad from your own country, you can at least have some legal fallback. The Chinese and Vietnamese only want our money and don’t give a ***** about our health – quite the opposite.
Another tip: Avoid tuna from the Pacific (or China-sourced) as well – if you want to eat mercury, chew a thermometer. The Pacific salmon from Canada is 50% dodgy, too – too many farms near the paper industry (mercury again).
June 18th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
What a load of old cobblers!
June 24th, 2012 at 7:10 pm
All imports from China and Vietnam, is plain rubbush. Food, clothes, machinary, automotive, etc… all rubbish.
June 29th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
I think the farther the food source is from does not provide ANY benefit. Watch the movie FOOD INC & COLLAPSE AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT. Do anuy of you think for one second that CHINA or an asian country would worry about what they feed the fish the feed to us? You can bet if LEAD would grow a fish faster they would feed it this and sell it to US…Wake up…Buy LOCAL.
July 2nd, 2012 at 9:09 am
What bothers me is that, if the claims that this fish is poisonous is true, the illness from ingesting it can take a long time for it to become apparent eg. cancer. Besides, is not Customs & Excise ultimately responsible for approving of safe imports.
July 4th, 2012 at 4:35 am
Lovely fish, quite reasonably priced for here in Zante, Greece !who”s taking the piss !!!
July 4th, 2012 at 12:27 pm
Gosh, what a bizarre over 4 years battle for the sole fish (oh beg my, not the sole, pangasius it was!) and nevertheless none achieved. Being a fish lover part time Europe, part Asia, I have to admit Panga is delicious in both locations. Screw the demons. I’ts really worth preparing both for your belly and tastebuds. Forget the fiery debates… still if you proceed, go grow your food in your own farm and then we can talk. Because,compared to daily pollution, E-stuff and nervous breakdowns most people find tolerable with living their life in Earth, the poor Panga is…. more than nothing. Wish you all a happy life, and don’t be scared of demons.
The world is what you make of it.
In your head.
Blessings.
Eve
July 5th, 2012 at 3:14 pm
So interesting to see one single topic lasting for so many years. To start with, I grown up in Hong Kong (no fish farms there back then) but moved to N America decades ago. Never know any one working in any field related to this particular fish anyway. I guess everyone should, as with most things, look at this topic from 2 sides. I have been eating this type of fish (or similar varieties) since childhood, and obviously have no problem eating it health wise. On the other hand, it is a century old “parental advice” in Southern China that this type of fish should only be consumed infrequently, meaning they are not as “safe” as other fresh water pond fishes. It is due to 2 reasons or beliefs which may not be scientific enough, but centuries of “experience” still deserves some respect, IMHO. Firstly, naturally in ponds these type of fish are all bottom feeders, eating all sorts of “shits” down there (so avoid the fish guts/stomach vicinity if you are buying the whole fish, frozen filets sounds much safer) and secondly, they are scaleless. Most “normal” fishes have scales to cover their bodies, for some kind of protection. Since scaleless, panga or other similar catfish varieties naturally develop certain chemical elements in their flesh which will deter other bigger fishes from trying to eat them, well, unless the predators are too hungry of course. As I mentioned above, not exact science here, but rather hundreds of years of experience that certain type of people getting sick or allergy symptoms after eating this type of fish. We are not talking about modern day pollution or contaminations here, but rather natural evolution chemistry change here instead. May be soon the biochemists will identify the allergy factor in this fish. Again, nowadays the farmed fishes are raised in cages rather than natural pond settings, things are changing again… I personally find the basa fillets bland and tasteless, but in nowadays’ scarcity reality, its acceptable and worthwhile to supplement with herbs and spices etc. for fulfilling the dietary protein requirement. When even the hormone and colorant and antibiotic raised farmed Salmons are getting too pricy, the basa/swai fillets should be a good subsititue then. So for those who gets sick after eating it, you will stop buying it anyway. For those who enjoys either the taste or low cost or both, keep eating it. And my non-expert advice is to alternate with other fish types or to eat it less frequently. Something on the side, good or bad, like it or not, I think aquaculture will be here to stay, and locally operated aquaponics farms will be the future trend for the next few decades, until our oceans’ fish stocks can recover, if possible at all. The good news is, I think tilapia tastes much better than basa fillets. One small tip, if the basa fillet on the fish counter looks thawed (no, they CANNOT be fresh), ask the fish guy for a frozen piece instead. You can thaw a frozen fillet in a matter of 10 or 15 minutes if you keep the fillet in a plastic bag submerged in water. This way, the filet is guaranteed fresh enough and not off from being thawed too long on the fish counter.
July 5th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
For the record, I think the original article was below standard and prepared with inferior journalism due to lack of convincing facts, totally not fair to those people who work diligently raising those fish in order to make a living. But my paradoxical statement here is that even those who enjoy the fish very much should take a cautious approach. One example I can think of, I have been using microwave ovens for 20 years or so, but never for primary cooking, instead only for reheating or quick minute pop corn popping only. Who knows when the researchers will come up with a report that microwaved foods can actually kill you slowly!
July 17th, 2012 at 9:02 am
What are your sources for this information? I need to know those in order to take this seriously. Please properly add your sources to your content, otherwise this is just amateur personal opinion/research, like many others out there.
July 17th, 2012 at 9:48 am
After eating “Pangasius filet” 2 or 3 times the last days from a local German market here in Belgium, I became ill. Odd feeling in my stomach, muscle pain in the legs at night inclusive multiple toilet visits during several days. I needed 2 weeks to recover. I also got an aversion from this fish instinctively. A coincidence? By chance I read this article and of course I cannot proof this fish was the cause of my illness but I think my suspicion is correct.
July 20th, 2012 at 9:12 am
I recently did a natural bodybuilding competition in Australia. For 11 weeks prior I ate 5x 200g cooked basa fillet meals per day. That’s 1kg basa EVERY DAY for 11 weeks. That’s 77kg basa that I personally ate over 11 weeks. I loved it. I still eat it now. It tastes great with pepper & chilli on the bbq. I didn’t get sick at all. If anyone should have gotten sick from eating basa, surely the guy who ate 80kg in 3 months would have, wouldn’t he?
August 11th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
i have eaten this fish at a local restaurant in the uk and bought it from bangladesh wholesalers and cooked it myself, ive eaten it loads of times and fed it to friends and they all love it and not one have been ill. bizarrely i was looking this up as i ate some for dinner. i will go on eating it, thanks
August 12th, 2012 at 11:26 am
There’s nothing wrong with the fish. I’m also a fish and fish processing expert. These fish are fed with commercial pelletized feeds similar to what they feed salmon, tilapia etc. the “urine” thing must be HCG (human chorionic gonadotriopin) hormones used to induce spawning. People use HCG in a weight loss program these days…google it and find out.
The writer of this article must have a hidden agenda for the smear campaign. People in 1st world countries cannot afford to go local as their food has become too expensive. They now have to rely on a lot of imported food from Asia & 3rd world countries because they can source them there cheaper.
August 13th, 2012 at 8:47 am
I have eaten cobler many times, never been sick! It is my favourte fish of all, I believe this site to have been produced by some anti river fish campiegner from the USA, they seem to be up in arms about the imports from V’nam!
August 22nd, 2012 at 3:32 pm
In Pakistan, many known restaurants are serving Pangas to us and I am afraid that they may not aware with the fact that said fish is not Halal.
I must share this with all Hotels & Restaurants (as per my limits) and will try to stop importing Pangas in our country.
September 3rd, 2012 at 1:36 am
see this one then – it spells it out a bit more http://www.vimeo.com/11817894
September 4th, 2012 at 5:33 am
I think this is a handiwork of the people who love to eat this fish and to keep the demand at check so the prices become affordable. All this negative publicity has no worthwhile content in it as everything seem to be surface-deep and subjective. The Fish is good, the country must be good, and simply one should not stamp the nation – Vietnam as untouchable – Good is always good and the fish is very good and affordable to eat even in the Middle East. I plan even to take it to India when I visit my family.
A supermarket need to be appreciated for the variety of the shopping choices and the produce should be judged based on the food values.
September 6th, 2012 at 8:14 am
May be “old hat” in the rest of the world, but Florida panhandle just started selling it locally. cooked it with a Key lime sauce, does not shrink, is a delicate, softer fish than cod. No reaction, but will continue to monitor reports on this species.
September 10th, 2012 at 8:16 am
Please read this link to studies made on these fish. It is quite surprising!
http://staff.stir.ac.uk/j.f.turnbull/papers/BNP.pdf
September 11th, 2012 at 7:08 am
Quote:
‘It is very easy to mislead consumers by showing pictures of cottage industry farms which produce fish for consumption by local villages, but these have no relation to the modern corporate run fish farms located in deep water in the nine mouths of the Mekong Delta, where the Himalayan snow melt provides a massive turnover of fresh water,’ Mr Peters said.
- http://www.rawfish.com.au/basa-story/
September 12th, 2012 at 8:57 am
I came across this site whilst looking for a Cobbler recipe. I have had this fish loads of times now and not once have I been ill. My family have also enjoyed it.Do you really think that supermarkets would risk selling something that could cost them millions in claims. Get a grip people really. There’s far worse things you could eat, burger bars and fast food chains now that’s dangerous food….
September 27th, 2012 at 1:35 am
I love this fish and believe that there is a “fish war” which has led to the media trying to blacklist it.
It is in competition with other farm fished products in the USA and other countries and perhaps this is the origin of these scare tactics. If we put any food products under the microscope it might put most of us off…growth hormones, chemicals etc etc
The Australian board on fish importing has all good things to say about Basa fish and I believe it:
http://www.seafoodimporters.com.au/news.item.php?pid=62
September 28th, 2012 at 3:16 am
Hi I am from Pakistan. well reading this has made me really worried for I was just googling recipes for pangasius and fortunately landed here some how. This is so confusing because me and my family have started eating this fish for the last few months after discovering our love for this kind of fish.
Firstly since it has no bones so this is one of the reasons that everyone loves to consume it. Anyways I didnt really notice if any of us had fallen ill after consuming pangasius but since my country lacks a regulatory check on food imports or take it as I dont trust the quality being circulated in the markets here, I really dread if we are not eating poison by consuming pangasius. I want to know if Pakistani markets (specifically karachi) are using or not using the kind of fish highlighted in the article above. If someone could help I would be really thankful.
October 9th, 2012 at 7:58 pm
I think that what you are saying is not always true. I mean if a high quality company export good quality of Pangas, then your are lowering those company reputation. Do you know one of the top company of exporting pangas in Vietnam even create a company to prepare fish food, extract collagen from fish skin and have high quality of raising fish and exporting them. So next time before you write something which is lowering and hurting people feelings and reputations think both the negative and positive side. I know most of the Vietnamese company uses a lot of poisoning chemicals, but not all of them. I mean a lot of the companies are stressing out just because of these rumors and facts. So have some respects.
October 12th, 2012 at 2:05 am
I am from Pakistan have been eating this fish once almost every month. This fish is used by many restaurants here to make different fish recipes including fish burgers, cutlets and fish n chips. We love it due to it being easy to eat and tastefully delicious. No one in my family ever had any problem after consuming this fish.
I would recommend it to anyone for its taste, convinience, price and safety.
November 3rd, 2012 at 9:33 am
have been eating PANGA fish bought in MERCADONA tenerife for last 10 years and no problem, either baked it or fried in batter, do not know if it is PANGAS fish, will contine with it also had it baked at PUEBLO HOTEL in Spain BENIDORM and really love it
November 5th, 2012 at 5:21 am
It’s not just the fish, it’s the system of capitalism…
November 6th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
I am from the US and I am a picky eater… All I can say is this fish is MMmmmm mmmmm good
Deep fry it with some corn meal, salt & pepper!
November 9th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
I’ve eaten supermarket bought pangas several times before and haven’t had the slightest problem with it. While it isn’t the tastiest of fish, the fillets are big and boneless, skinless, they’re very easy to cook with and their texture is also guite nice.
I allow for the chance that the information you posted here is correct, but two blurry pictures on which neither the type of fish nor the exact location can be identified won’t prove them. I like to be cautious with my food, but I’d like to some sources cited and at least a few verifiable test results before I’ll believe a posting on a blog.
December 7th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Many lies getting spread around about this fish, mainly starting from European fish farmers.
http://qualasaexpertise.wordpress.com/2010/12/02/truth-behind-propaganda-campaign-against-vietnamese-pangasius-fish-by-mr-d%C6%B0%C6%A1ng-minh-tr%E1%BB%8B-seafood-consultant-in-vietnam/
As someone who has worked on salmon farms and visited the Mekong I can tell you I would eat this fish any day of the week over Europrean farmed salmon. The chemicals put in farmed salmon are shocking, not to mention silly amounts of die to give it that ridiculous red colour. What are the salmon pellets made from that they eat ?? why the left overs after they have been proccessed boiled down with a load of rubbish added to it, like we used to do with our cows…. ahem. I have dived underneath salmon cages doing repair work to the nets and seen what we put in does to the enviroment. Underneath a salmon cage looks like a nuclear bomb has gone off. ZERO life !!
Must shoot, my Pangasuis fillet will get over done.
p.s (Repeat all the lies about this fish come from those with vested interests, seek and thou shall find)
January 7th, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Just bought my first cobbler.
Was looking for ways to cook it and has been said before found this page.
I eat eels that evidently live in sewer outlets once cleaned and cooked correctly hmmm divine.
The river cobbler is a lovely firm cheap fish cooked with a spice or a nice sauce is yummy
EAT IT !!!
January 26th, 2013 at 9:38 am
It’s a very “rich” fish oil-wise even though it’s a river fish, and I think that what is actually happening to the people complaining of “D&V” is they have eaten too big a portion. I’m no doctor but do nutrition regularly in my job. As to contamination, I would have said “NO CHANCE” until we got the pig and horsemeat scare in burgers, but still feel the environmental health checks performed in the U.K. would have picked up on this in the start(as in 2008), and would be constantly monitored to date. As one comment states, it might be attributed to European fish farmers? Am not going to give a professional opinion on that.
February 11th, 2013 at 3:54 am
I bought it and must still make it for supper. What i cannot understand after reading all this negative publicity about the fish, is why is there still people alive in Vietnam if this fish or all their fresh produce so poisonous.
February 11th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
OK folks, a lot of stuff here. We just had it for dinner tonight so far I am not dead allthough I did have indigestion but that could be the whisky wont be eating it again though reason……….tastes of absolutely nothing and a soft mushy texture not really very nice.
I,ll let you know if it kills me overnight!
February 28th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
I was looking for this fish in my calorie diet book but could not find it,so,looked it up on the web and here I am.I have just had this fish for my dinner and found it very nice.This is the second time we have eaten it,pre cooked and packed by Morrisons.I would say I prefer it to haddock or cod.The fish reminds me of plaice.As you will no doubt gather I am still here with no after effects.
March 10th, 2013 at 8:02 am
Normally, people who have been threatened by some imported food will try to destroy it by all means. When USA was developing the palm oil, they try to make the coconut oil bad…
I am raising pangasius in my aquarium and grilled them when getting huge… The pangasius fillet from Thailand, Vietnam, and other asian countries taste just the same and i will eat them till I die…The sme fish is now being raised in the Philippines too…
March 10th, 2013 at 5:20 pm
This is totally weird. Apparently I have an iron stomach because I eat this fish all the time and so far I’ve never had any problems whatsoever.
March 11th, 2013 at 1:27 pm
What a bunch of BS lies… We having eaten this Ponga/Pangasius/Basa/Swai and it tasted delicious, no fishy smell, and can be cook with any type of recipes… No problem eaten this fish but I just cant stand lies article to the consumers to protect their own industry…
March 26th, 2013 at 5:02 am
Ah, Vietnam. About that do you remember that very powerful “herbicide” and also a very powerful mutagen called Agent Orange that the Americans dumped all over Vietnam from 1962 ’till 1971. Number says that’s about 76,000,000 liters!!! That is almost 10 years of dumping this stuff into river banks and forests. Well the deadly agent has come back full circle! And we, along the other hazardous materials, are eating it with this fish. Everybody from from Russia to USA, the whole world is eating this. So who do we need to thank for this? US or Vietnam? Will our kids soon have 2 heads?
March 27th, 2013 at 8:42 am
This is not true I eat basa which is the other name al the time and I’m fine
April 9th, 2013 at 2:54 am
2yrs. ago One of my already told me ab0ut this pangas i th0ught she was 0nly kidding.
It’s Yuck!
May 7th, 2013 at 3:35 am
Doesn’t this article set about creating a nice big moral panic?!
The article is biased. It offers no counter argument, just giving out people a one sided opinion with no references of any kind – just some pictures from the Internet. Where are these pictures from? How do we know they are of Basa farming? How do we know they are pictures from Vietnam.
Then there are the comments about getting food poisoning type symptoms? These symptoms are not just of food poisoning, but of a whole range of gastro-enteritis bugs, all of varying degrees of severity etc.
I’ve eaten this fish plenty of times, and have been fine every single time. And it’s still on sale in 2013. And I think after the investigation with the horse contamination – wouldn’t the big super markets be a bit more selective about their food.
And if the claims about Basa are true? Then okay. But atleast they are being sold as Basa, and not as beef.
May 14th, 2013 at 1:54 am
What a load of bullshit article this is. This coming from a Malaysian Aquaculture graduate in Taiwan.
1. Every exported food are screened with absolute strictness, especially America and EU. How is it possible that they do not detect all the said contaminants that you have mentioned? And besides, not all fish farmers farm their pangas in the Mekong river. Does cement ponds, earthen ponds come into mind when you think about fish farming?
2. They freeze pangas in the Mekong river??? Do you know the climate of the South East Asian? Freezing a river more over?
3&4. How is it a non-sustainable staple food? Fish meal from peru is a cheap protein source for the fish. Those grind dead fish and bones are to be processed to make fish meal powders. And believe me when I say this, fish meals made pellets are more nutritious and safer from contamination. Soy bean meal is the same, they even provide proteins whcih doesn’t need to fill any living beings like cows and chickens, how is that non-sustainable? Hormone injections from China that you said is even a bigger joke. Only broodstocks need the injection and they are not sold as food. Broodstocks are needed to produce 1 million of eggs per mommy fish and one injection is needed. Did you even check your source?
5. Pangas are injected with human urine? That’s what your safe food manual said? Oh please, stop making more jokes, my stomach is aching. What they collected are called HCG. And they are only needed to be used on the broodstock. Again, the broodstocks are not raised to be food on your table.
6. You get what you paid? pretty much, the farmers tried to reduce cost from their feeds, electricity, water treatment, and etc. And then go through your ridiculous strict EU protocols, to provide cheap proteins. You can eat clean steak everyday of cause, and at the end of the month check your balance to know what is cost saving and what saves the poorer countries like Africa and the latin Americans.
7. The companies who sells the fish doesn’t make me sick. Your baseless accusations do.
May 15th, 2013 at 10:01 am
It isn’t ONLY Tesco, I’ve just bought some in Sainsburys. No one in store could tell me what River Cobbler was – thought I’d have a go anyway. Wish me luck ?