KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 — The Terengganu Fisheries Department has warned the public to properly cook cockles collected during the Kerang Festival at Pantai Sura, Dungun.
The department said that while initial analyses of water and shellfish samples taken on January 15, 2025, showed no indications of biotoxins, cockles were a Class B category of seafood that must be fully cooked prior to consumption.
“[Based] on studies from previous years (2014, 2016, 2019, and 2021), laboratory analyses showed that the levels of faecal coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria in the clam samples exceeded the established standards,” it said.
Among others, they contained faecal coliform in excess of 300 ppm/100g and E.coli of over 230ppm/100g.
The department also pointed out the detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, which naturally occurs in seawater, in past cockle samples.
Residents and visitors are urged to adhere to food safety practices and enjoy the festival responsibly to avoid health risks.
An unusual high tide phenomenon in the east coast of the peninsula caused cockles to wash ashore in parts of Terengganu, particularly Dungun.
Despite police instructions not to do so, members of the public flocked to beaches in order to collect these.
