Hong Kong sashimi lovers beware: watchdog finds excessive mercury levels in over 50 per cent of raw tuna samples

Hongkongers who love their tuna sashimi have been urged by the city’s consumer watchdog to be careful about mercury content after a study found alarming levels of the heavy metal in samples of the raw Japanese dish.

Professor Nora Tam Fung-yee, chairwoman of the Consumer Council’s testing committee, said on Monday that of 19 tuna sashimi samples taken from local restaurants and supermarkets, 10 were found to contain methylmercury levels exceeding the limit in Hong Kong by a range of 6 per cent to nearly 200 per cent.