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Changhua oyster farmers cry foul over copper scare

"Our oysters used to sell out everyday. Now sales are down 30 percent. Their [the Consumers' Foundation's] fearmongering has caused consumers to shun Changhua oysters."

Chen Chu-tsang of the Changhua Area Fishery Association

Changhua's oyster farmers are crying foul after sales plunged following a warning from the Consumers' Foundation about high levels of copper in Taiwanese oysters.

The oyster market was sent reeling by the foundation's announcement on Tuesday that it had found concentrations of copper above 200 parts per million (ppm) in three out of the 20 samples it had collected from various retail outlets, including a market in Changhua.

However, tests of four oyster production sites in Changhua conducted by the Council of Agriculture during the same period found much lower copper concentrations -- between 44 and 57ppm -- that were well within the safety limit of 100ppm advocated by the foundation.

"Our oysters used to sell out everyday," said Chen Chu-tsang (陳諸讚) of the Changhua Area Fishery Association. "Now sales are down 30 percent. Their fearmongering has caused consumers to shun Changhua oysters."

Oyster farmers and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chen Chao-rung (陳朝容), who is from Changhua, gulped raw oysters for the cameras at a press conference at the legislature yesterday in a bid to restore consumer confidence.

"Changhua oysters are safe, and good for you," Chen Chao-rung said. "The Consumers' Foundation needs to get its facts straight."

The foundation is standing by its findings.

"We sampled oysters at sale points rather than point of origin because we are concerned about what reaches the people," foundation president Cheng Jen-hung (程仁宏) said.

"We didn't want to impugn oysters from any particular region. Indeed, we raised the possibility that some may have been contraband oysters. But the bottom line is they're being sold and eaten by Taiwanese consumers," Cheng said.

The foundation has urged the Department of Health to reduce the maximum allowable copper concentration in shellfish to under 100ppm, in line with Canada and the UK.

The top official at the Bureau of Food Safety, however, dismissed the need for such a limit.

"Unlike mercury, copper is readily metabolized by the body," David Cheng (鄭慧文) said. "We see no reason to set a limit."

"By the time you've eaten enough oyster omelets to have to worry about copper, your cholesterol intake from the eggs would be a far greater concern," he said, referring to a favorite local dish.

Cheng Jen-hung disagreed.

"Perhaps no single source of heavy metals or other poison causes sickness, but overall we are seeing higher rates of liver and kidney failure in our country. That's why we have to be vigilant about contributing causes such as pesticides on our vegetables and copper in our oysters," she said

"In the long run, we hope to create a win-win situation for oyster farmers and consumers," said Shih Sheng-lung (石聖龍) of the Fisheries Agency.

"We are encouraging participation in certification schemes that will give consumers peace of mind and allow farmers to charge a premium price," Shih said.
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