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In August 2022, Singapore revised its regulations concerning imported pufferfish, allowing for the importation of muscles, skin, fins, and milt from farmed pufferfish. Previously, only muscle meat was permitted for importation.
While wild pufferfish contain a potent toxin that can lead to numbness, paralysis, and even death, farmed pufferfish are free from toxins since they do not produce them themselves but rather accumulate them from their diet in the wild. Consequently, Japan has been actively promoting the safety of its farmed pufferfish to global markets.
Key export destinations include Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia, with Singapore imposing several restrictions on pufferfish imports. Japan is the sole approved export market for selling pufferfish to Singapore. Import consignments must originate from Singapore-accredited establishments and be prepared by expert chefs. Each shipment must be accompanied by a health certificate from Japanese authorities, and Singapore conducts additional testing as part of its food surveillance program.
Although some markets, like Russia, permit pufferfish imports, they currently ban seafood imports from Japan due to concerns over the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor's cooling water release.
Progress in persuading cautious markets, such as the U.S., to relax import restrictions has been sluggish. Japan has sought to bolster the product's credentials and standardized pufferfish licenses nationwide to appeal to hesitant markets. Previously, regulations varied among prefectures.
Despite efforts to ensure safety, incidents of unsafe pufferfish sales persist in Japan, resulting in fatalities annually. In 2018, a supermarket in Gamagori, Japan, mistakenly sold packages containing potentially lethal portions of pufferfish to consumers. Researchers estimate approximately 50 fatalities occur annually in Japan due to improperly prepared pufferfish, with occasional deaths reported in Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
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