Comments on: Don’t Eat this fish: Pangas (Pangasius, Vietnamese River Cobbler, White Catfish, Gray Sole)

By: Geoff Collier

Geoff Collier — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:01:18 +0000

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 ?

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:54:26 +0000

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.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:35:00 +0000

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.

By: grace anne

grace anne — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:54:51 +0000

2yrs. ago One of my already told me ab0ut this pangas i th0ught she was 0nly kidding.

It’s Yuck!

By: aaron

aaron — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:42:31 +0000

This is not true I eat basa which is the other name al the time and I’m fine

By: Scar

Scar — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:02:12 +0000

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?

By: John smith

John smith — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:27:53 +0000

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…

By: Michel

Michel — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 22:20:07 +0000

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.

By: Engr. Paul H. Duman

Engr. Paul H. Duman — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 13:02:16 +0000

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…

By: Denis

Denis — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:06:57 +0000

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.

By: Danny

Danny — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:39:00 +0000

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!

By: Carina

Carina — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:54:01 +0000

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.

By: greg

greg — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:38:30 +0000

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.

By: billy

billy — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:18:06 +0000

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 !!!

By: deek

deek — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:46:07 +0000

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)

By: leiric

leiric — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:16:07 +0000

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.

By: John

John — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:03:05 +0000

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!

By: gekkogerrie

gekkogerrie — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 10:21:57 +0000

It’s not just the fish, it’s the system of capitalism…

By: ANTHONY LONG

ANTHONY LONG — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 14:33:04 +0000

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

By: Nedian_Bravo

Nedian_Bravo — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:05:58 +0000

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.

By: Tien

Tien — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 00:58:47 +0000

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.

By: mariam

mariam — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:16:23 +0000

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.

By: ChrissydV

ChrissydV — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:35:47 +0000

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

By: Babsey 64

Babsey 64 — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 13:57:31 +0000

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….

By: Kath Miggans

Kath Miggans — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 12:08:16 +0000

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/

By: Kim Holme

Kim Holme — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 13:16:03 +0000

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

By: Panhandlesue

Panhandlesue — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:14:39 +0000

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.

By: Thomas Athappilly

Thomas Athappilly — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:33:35 +0000

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.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 06:36:58 +0000

see this one then – it spells it out a bit more http://www.vimeo.com/11817894

By: Sohail

Sohail — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:32:28 +0000

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.

By: Jay.kimm

Jay.kimm — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:47:42 +0000

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!

By: JIMMY

JIMMY — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:26:56 +0000

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.

By: JX

JX — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 17:33:17 +0000

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

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:12:08 +0000

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?

By: Peter Cernjavski

Peter Cernjavski — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:48:01 +0000

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.

By: Annonymous

Annonymous — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:02:36 +0000

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.

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:50:14 +0000

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!

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:14:58 +0000

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.

By: Eve Rütel

Eve Rütel — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 17:27:29 +0000

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

By: CHAS TAYLOR

CHAS TAYLOR — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:35:35 +0000

Lovely fish, quite reasonably priced for here in Zante, Greece !who”s taking the piss !!!

By: John Judge

John Judge — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:09:29 +0000

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.

By: puravidalighting

puravidalighting — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 19:24:29 +0000

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.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:10:22 +0000

All imports from China and Vietnam, is plain rubbush. Food, clothes, machinary, automotive, etc… all rubbish.

By: Abby peters

Abby peters — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 21:01:02 +0000

What a load of old cobblers!

By: Arthur Brede

Arthur Brede — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:29:40 +0000

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).

By: baz

baz — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 10:29:04 +0000

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

By: Inam

Inam — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:57:48 +0000

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

By: Inam

Inam — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:44:12 +0000

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.

By: Inam

Inam — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:40:05 +0000

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.

By: Pedro Reis

Pedro Reis — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 01:07:48 +0000

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.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:09:29 +0000

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

By: mayen

mayen — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:40:15 +0000

This is total bull. All fish imported or exported between countries undergo intensive tests.

By: Hanel Cung Cấp Dịch Vụ Sửa Chữa Tại Nhà Và Cơ Quan

Hanel Cung Cấp Dịch Vụ Sửa Chữa Tại Nhà Và Cơ Quan — Sun, 27 May 2012 22:15:04 +0000

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[...]…

By: Nate

Nate — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:15:05 +0000

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.

By: cameowalkin

cameowalkin — Sat, 26 May 2012 08:03:27 +0000

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!”

By: Threepipe Three Peaks Challenge – The Aftermath - threepipe

Threepipe Three Peaks Challenge – The Aftermath - threepipe — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:32:52 +0000

[...] For those of you unaware of the great flavour and nutritional benefits of Panga, you can find them here. [...]

By: Daphne » The Farm Organics

Daphne » The Farm Organics — Sun, 20 May 2012 21:30:42 +0000

[...] 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 [...]

By: Terry McGeary

Terry McGeary — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:28:38 +0000

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!

By: John

John — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:38:22 +0000

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

By: james

james — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:18:49 +0000

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!!!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:40:37 +0000

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.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:19:35 +0000

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

By: Asim Amin

Asim Amin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:19:00 +0000

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.

By: tess

tess — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:57:49 +0000

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.

By: Miguel Zhang

Miguel Zhang — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:06:31 +0000

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?

By: Never believe what you hear!

Never believe what you hear! — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:40:14 +0000

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!

By: Hovey

Hovey — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:46:27 +0000

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.

By: Lommy

Lommy — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:22:27 +0000

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.

By: john u

john u — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:43:55 +0000

stupid research. go eat tuna in a can stupid research.

By: Bonddxb

Bonddxb — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 02:28:12 +0000

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.

By: South African Fish Lover

South African Fish Lover — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:37:45 +0000

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.

By: canadian fish eater

canadian fish eater — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 03:45:19 +0000

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.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:04:39 +0000

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.

By: Random Guy

Random Guy — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:57:43 +0000

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

By: Johnpaul

Johnpaul — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 18:25:37 +0000

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!

By: Mat

Mat — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:22:11 +0000

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

By: I eat fish

I eat fish — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:38:11 +0000

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

By: RAYMOND CHARLES TWEEDALE

RAYMOND CHARLES TWEEDALE — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:33:07 +0000

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.

By: daviesplug@aol.com

daviesplug@aol.com — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:07:42 +0000

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.

By: Cam

Cam — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:19:15 +0000

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.

By: Ana

Ana — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:19:22 +0000

Please read this articule!

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/22/opinion/harvesting-poverty-the-great-catfish-war.html?src=pm

By: Dave Buckingham

Dave Buckingham — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 18:14:54 +0000

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

By: Sara Jean

Sara Jean — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:10:58 +0000

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?

By: Lauren

Lauren — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:56:21 +0000

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.

By: eyota2020

eyota2020 — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:19:49 +0000

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,

By: Khaled Hegab

Khaled Hegab — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:50:25 +0000

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.

By: Toby

Toby — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:20:16 +0000

It’s actually the best fish I have ever had.

By: Toby

Toby — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 18:19:06 +0000

They served this crap at my school to 850 pupils until someone looked it up.
YUMMY SCUMMY urine

By: Ahmed Iftikhar

Ahmed Iftikhar — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:56:47 +0000

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.

By: Randy

Randy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:08:45 +0000

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’.

By: Kurt Anderson

Kurt Anderson — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:00:37 +0000

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.

By: Richard Newton

Richard Newton — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:42:03 +0000

What a load of unbalanced nonsense:
Google ‘”Whitefish wars” Little et al 2012′ for an informed opinion.

By: Bill Robertson

Bill Robertson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:59:31 +0000

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.

By: taffpook

taffpook — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:12:17 +0000

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

By: Annette

Annette — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:11:52 +0000

Ever hear of MASS HISTERIA?

By: R Cobbler

R Cobbler — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:50:33 +0000

Izzy, don’t they have punctuation in Scotland? Or capital letters? Or dictionaries?

By: Asad

Asad — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:38:45 +0000

Its as good as any other wholesome food. It really matters that how you cook the food.

By: Alison

Alison — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 07:10:27 +0000

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.

By: TaraMayo

TaraMayo — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:48:41 +0000

http://www.chefs-resources.com/Is-Vietnamese-Swai-and-Basa-Safe
What to believe?
Go Vegan!

By: jo

jo — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:05:31 +0000

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?