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

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?

By: Elaine N

Elaine N — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:24:44 +0000

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.

By: w waterman

w waterman — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:46:49 +0000

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

By: Eduardo freire torres

Eduardo freire torres — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:09:59 +0000

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.

By: eric & cory

eric & cory — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:41:38 +0000

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.

By: ianmarshallstroud@talktalk.net

ianmarshallstroud@talktalk.net — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:44:24 +0000

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.

By: Hong Anh

Hong Anh — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:19:07 +0000

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.

By: Terry McGeary

Terry McGeary — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:32:59 +0000

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!:-)

By: izzy

izzy — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:29:12 +0000

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

By: jason connah

jason connah — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:39:57 +0000

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

By: clive hodgson

clive hodgson — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:21:32 +0000

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.

By: John Oh

John Oh — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:20:33 +0000

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.

By: Ludovic

Ludovic — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:50:16 +0000

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…

By: Diehard Dave

Diehard Dave — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:25:56 +0000

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.

By: drew

drew — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:59:07 +0000

Pangas are feeded with american prisiooneers left in viet nam!
American veterans are being used to make the food paste for pangas

By: Fish fingers

Fish fingers — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 13:15:01 +0000

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 !

By: TI NI

TI NI — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:39:28 +0000

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)

By: Dennis

Dennis — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:51:04 +0000

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?

By: Paul says

Paul says — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:29:06 +0000

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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.

By: Ruth Smith

Ruth Smith — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 20:19:52 +0000

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.

By: Marcus F.

Marcus F. — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 02:31:48 +0000

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.

By: Nuno Antunes

Nuno Antunes — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:36:44 +0000

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

By: Zaheer Rafiq

Zaheer Rafiq — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:17:38 +0000

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.

By: helen p

helen p — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:18:53 +0000

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

By: dandelion

dandelion — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:26:34 +0000

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.

By: Ravi

Ravi — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:58:53 +0000

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.

By: Winnie

Winnie — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:58:17 +0000

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.

By: Mauricio Dottori

Mauricio Dottori — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:09:58 +0000

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?

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 05:12:24 +0000

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.

By: joao barros

joao barros — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:12:16 +0000

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

By: Mel

Mel — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 23:52:47 +0000

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.

By: MOMMA

MOMMA — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:41:04 +0000

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.

By: Angela Graham

Angela Graham — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 13:06:33 +0000

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.

By: Billie Tomas

Billie Tomas — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:10:51 +0000

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.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:27:23 +0000

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.

By: pangasius

pangasius — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 18:07:44 +0000

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.

By: Matt

Matt — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:23:00 +0000

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.

By: Gavin Bowditch

Gavin Bowditch — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:35:01 +0000

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

By: Gavin Bowditch

Gavin Bowditch — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:26:22 +0000

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.

By: king313

king313 — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:14:00 +0000

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

By: mal

mal — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:16:49 +0000

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

By: STEVE

STEVE — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:42:43 +0000

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.

By: steve brockmyer

steve brockmyer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:26:57 +0000

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.

By: tom

tom — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:05:34 +0000

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,

By: melo

melo — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:04:04 +0000

this fish now are marketable globally.

By: primo

primo — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:40:21 +0000

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.

By: Get a life people

Get a life people — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:59:18 +0000

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 …

By: Mike Lowe

Mike Lowe — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:20:31 +0000

I have eaten pangasius several times and enjoyed it very much. I have never had any ill effects.

By: Avisos

Avisos — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 03:39:53 +0000

I saw this fish in chilean markets, imported from vietnam… scary…

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:52:20 +0000

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…

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 12:13:05 +0000

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 …

By: Crystal

Crystal — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 00:40:47 +0000

Please remove my comment, so I can edit it, thank you!

By: June

June — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:04:22 +0000

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

By: Jonny England

Jonny England — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:26:39 +0000

Vietnam had and has a major problem with agent orange everyone has a right to feel unsafe from eating anything from vietnam

By: Rhona

Rhona — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:46:45 +0000

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!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:32:48 +0000

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!)

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:43:34 +0000

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.

By: Nadia

Nadia — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:07:58 +0000

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.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:58:17 +0000

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

By: Ryan

Ryan — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:16:01 +0000

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.

By: Rev Larry Robinson

Rev Larry Robinson — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:36:32 +0000

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.

By: Bel

Bel — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:15:36 +0000

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 ^-^

By: steve

steve — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 16:33:56 +0000

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 ……

By: philip thomson

philip thomson — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:37:42 +0000

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 .

By: Fed up with idiots

Fed up with idiots — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:45:45 +0000

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.

By: Mel

Mel — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:26:08 +0000

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.

By: Squirrel

Squirrel — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:51:26 +0000

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

By: muddy water

muddy water — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 03:06:40 +0000

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

By: plevel

plevel — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 09:55:58 +0000

STFU pangas is tasty and OK! it isnt unhealthy

By: Barbs

Barbs — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:54:20 +0000

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…

By: carao

carao — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:28:40 +0000

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.

By: Charlie and Ken

Charlie and Ken — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:37:06 +0000

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…

By: iffet kesimli

iffet kesimli — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:17:51 +0000

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.

By: Ling

Ling — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 08:12:44 +0000

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.

By: Reggie

Reggie — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 07:03:34 +0000

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.

By: lie lie lie

lie lie lie — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 10:30:31 +0000

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

By: Mish

Mish — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 12:52:40 +0000

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.

By: Eddie Sibley

Eddie Sibley — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:27:57 +0000

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.

By: Roy B

Roy B — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 01:40:51 +0000

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.

By: Bobby

Bobby — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 22:59:34 +0000

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.

By: Rex Lawhorn

Rex Lawhorn — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:50:25 +0000

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.

By: Debbie Poole

Debbie Poole — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 07:17:38 +0000

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.

By: Ruth Birch

Ruth Birch — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:32:10 +0000

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.

By: Margaret Cusimano

Margaret Cusimano — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:11:13 +0000

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.

By: r

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:23:07 +0000

THESE FISH ARE RAISED IN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!!!

READ THIS LINK BEFORE EATING!!!

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

By: Marco

Marco — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 17:42:49 +0000

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.

By: sam

sam — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 09:01:24 +0000

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,

By: Srinath

Srinath — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:12:21 +0000

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!

By: Rafael

Rafael — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:52:47 +0000

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.

By: S

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:01:25 +0000

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.

By: Cndn Chef

Cndn Chef — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:58:03 +0000

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.

By: Kaira

Kaira — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:37:32 +0000

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.

By: Naomi Peacock

Naomi Peacock — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:59:12 +0000

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.