Two people had already eaten potentially dangerous portions of fugu after it was accidentally sold to them, prompting a Japanese city to issue an emergency alert to residents on Monday.
Fugu, with its lethal innards, is considered a winter time delicacy in Japan, with high-end Tokyo restaurants charging customers 22,000 yuens ($198 US) to risk death.
The two people who consumed the fish have not reported any health problems as this time. However, Gamagori city activated an emergency warning to its citizens alerting them through all wireless systems, including community loud speakers, against eating the fugu and recalling the product.
Mizuno told CNN that this particular type of blowfish usually has very weak or no poison, but the food hygiene laws prohibit the sale of any liver given its potentially poisonous implications. The liver should never be eaten because only testing can detect the poison.
Two packs of the recalled fish were located and returned on Monday night after the city’s quarantine office was alerted by a consumer who had bought the product and found the liver still inside.
