Formalin fears: Goa to keep eye on fish from other states

The Goa government has decided to constitute special squads to check if fish brought from adjoining states contain formalin, a toxic chemical, Fisheries Minister Vinod Palyekar said today.

The move comes amid reports about the presence of formalin in fish coming into Goa from other states.

Palyekar said the squads will comprise officials from the fisheries department and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). They will be deputed on Goa's borders.

"The teams will check all the God-bound trucks carrying fish and samples would be drawn to check if they were treated with formalin," he said.

The teams will be armed with testing kits which can check presence of formalin in fish, the minister said.

"If we find even small contents of formalin, we will confiscate the fish and dispose it on the spot," he said.

On July 12, the FDA raided wholesale fish markets in Margao in South Goa and Panaji in North Goa and claimed its "spot analysis" showed the presence of formalin in fish stocks brought from other states.

Later, the FDA withdrew its report and claimed the chemical found in fish was within permissible limits.

A toxic chemical, formalin is used to preserve bodies and prevent its decay in mortuaries.