The National Disaster Management Office is working closely with the Department of Health to check emergency food rations before they are distributed to communities affected during a natural disaster in Vanuatu.
The Health Department has strictly recommended this process following an investigation into reports of contaminated OKI tinned fish that were purchased as part of food rations from a shop in Port Vila.
The tinned fish was sent to families in Tanna, who were affected by ash-fall from the Yasur volcano.
Another recommendation is for authorized officers from the Port Vila Municipal Council (PVMC) and Ministry of Health (MoH) to confiscate and destroy all OKI tinned fish from that particular shops and others that have them on shelves.
According to the health report, a sample of the brand of tinned fish taken from the Chinese shop for analysis by the lab technician at the Vila Central Hospital (VCH) and it was confirmed to contain tapeworm like creatures.
The manager of the shop that supplied the OKI tinned fish to NDMO as relief for volcano victims was issued with a fine under the Food Regulation Act.
The manager of the shop is yet to provide the Department of Health a list of shops that received OKI tinned fish to sell.
Volcano victims who received the contaminated tinned fish have been advised not to eat them.
Members of the general public are also advised not to buy OKI tinned fish from shops as they are unfit for consumption.