Sounds fishy: Deadly blowfish scare in Japan
January 16, 2018
A central Japanese city has used its emergency loudspeaker system to warn residents to avoid eating blowfish meat after it was discovered that one package of the fish still contained toxic liver.
A supermarket in Gamagori found that one of five packets still contained the liver, which is highly toxic and is normally removed by highly trained experts.
Three of five packages have so far been retrieved, local officials said.
Fugu is one of Japan's most expensive delicacies, despite nearly a dozen people having suffered agonizing deaths from its toxic parts over the past decade.
The puffer fish's organs — especially its liver, ovaries, and intestines — contain tetrodotoxin.
Consumption of only 2-3 mg of tetrodotoxin can be deadly.
Handling fugu fish is highly regulated and requires a license.
cw/rc (AFP, AP)