The Health, Welfare & Food Bureau is maintaining communication with the Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau on the safety of freshwater fish supplied to Hong Kong.

It made the statement after Guandong authorities confirmed that farms once suspected to have tainted fish complied with standards and requirements for exporting to Hong Kong. Their fish are now free from malachite green and nitrofuran residue.

The bureau said the tainted fish samples might have come from improper sources or been contaminated at wholesale or retail level. As such, it believed the system of registration and monitoring on the Mainland is effective and fish products from registered farms are safe.