Is Basa imported to UK checked for pollution?

[LegendInMyOwnLunchtime]

I bought a bag of ‘smoked white fish’ from Iceland , then read the back of the bag and found it to be basa.

I have read that this is farmed in what might be highly polluted waters in Vietnam.

Are levels of anything unhealthy or dangerous checked in the fish imported to the UK?

Watching with interest I've just discovered basa and really like it.

I risked some tonight.. the fish was v good, but very salty: Iceland’s fault!

I believe there is a risk of absorbtion of heavy metals? Lead, for example, cannot be detected by our senses - you can't see it and no smell/taste.

There's a reason it's so cheap, I guess. I adore fish, but I try to buy carefully these days. Frozen hake is cheap at Tesco, and sustainable (I think!).

Yes, I will be checking the type of fish next time!

But if the levels were so high as to be dangerous would it still be imported and sold in the UK? I was reading about general chemical pollution in the Mekong delta - do UK importers check the water the fish comes from?

Does anyone know?

I don’t know but I don’t eat it because I am also worried about this. Gousto seem to use it a lot which is annoying.

DH is originally from Vietnam and a chef he doesn’t like basa and won’t buy it - we travel back there at least every year

I'm curious, why doesn't he like it ?
Taste, pollution, ethics ?

The quality of the fish and the waters it swims in …

But would it be allowed to be sold here if it was full of toxins etc?

There is max levels of contaminants allowed in fish sold within the EU (and U.K. as we still have the laws) however how stringent the tests are I couldn’t tell you.

I personally avoid basa due to my Brazilian friend saying how they only use it for bait in Brasil and would not serve it to humans 😳

If you have a Turkish market near you tilapia is a good, cheap alternative and that’s highly regarded. If not I like cod, haddock and sea bass.

Not if it was full of toxins, no. But it seems that it has more toxins than I personally would like.

Coley is a nice white fish and doesn't have such problems. There's also loads of it so it's a sustainable choice.

I read this a while back and it's really put me off since! 🤢

www.thetravellinglindfields.com/2018/04/where-does-basa-come-from-confronting.html?m=1

I’ve also heard it’s banned in the US which further puts me off as their food standards aren’t exactly known for being high!

I’ve got a bag of fillets in the freezer, and hate waste 😥

No need to throw it away. It won't do any harm eating a small amount. I've had it before but didn't really like it. After finding out it was catfish just really put me off for some silly reason!

Maybe Mr Sadiqqui from Gogglebox would know. It’s his favourite fish.

My LO is allergic to Basa only (though I guess we've never eaten other catfish) and if we ever have to ask the kitchen in a restaurant etc they always pale at the idea of using it, definitely doesn't have a good rep amongst foodies!

We only ate it because of gousto

I'd finish off your bag though OP!

Join the olio app and put it on there. Its a food sharing app and people even take open packets/frozen items etc.
Olio - Your Local Sharing App (olioapp.com)

Not to mention the fact that it's been transported from Vietnam to Iceland and then to the UK. It's not very eco friendly is it? And also not very fresh when Iceland received it.

I don't like basa, I think it's the texture. I didn't know about the possibility of pollution.
I prefer pollock or coley.

I’m glad you posted this OP - I had no idea that was where Basa came from and certainly won’t be eating it going forward, for environmental and pollution issues.

I bought some from Iceland and then read that it was actually a type of Catfish that swims in polluted rivers. They breed quickly hence why they are cheap. I also hate waste so I turned them into a type of Kedgeree and won't be buying any more.

I won't even feed bass to my cats🤮

Basa.

I’ve heard the same said about king prawns. A lot of prawn farming takes place in polluted areas.

I now only buy the small cold water Atlantic prawns. (Or very occasionally a pack of organic king prawns)