Jun 25, 2010
Fish Vendors Allegedly Using Formaldehyde To Preserve Fish
According to Dr. Beverly Wright, of the Manchester Health Department, some vendors at the Mandeville Market in Manchester are using formaldehyde (a deadly chemical that is used to preserve dead bodies before burial) to prevent their fish from spoiling. Dr. Wright made the disclosure during a Board of Health meeting at the Manchester Parish Council yesterday.
According to reports, in March of this year, a resident became ill after eating a fish that had been purchased at the market. The Ministry of Health was alerted, and they instantly took nine samples of fish from various vendors in the market. The samples were sent to the Government’s laboratory in Kingston for testing, and all nine samples tested positive for the chemical formaldehyde.
Indications are that the police will be investigating the matter in order to determine how the vendors came in possession of the chemical. Secretary Manager of the Manchester Parish Council, Alfred Graham, and Mayor of Mandeville Brenda Ramsay, have reportedly summoned fish vendors who sell in market to a meeting at the council’s chambers some time next week.