By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter

Some of the favourite fish varieties are on the verge of extinction, especially in the Gulf waters, according to a noted seafood expert.

‘King fish, Sheri and Hamour are fast disappearing from the Gulf waters and they may vanish from the region in about five to ten years,” said Dubai-based chef and food consultant, Anil Kumar, who is an expert and promoter of seafood. Qatar had banned the fishing of King Fish for two months this year to boost its stock.

Speaking to Gulf Times, Kumar said he promotes fish consumption as a healthy eating habit as well as to avoid red meat. “On an average, I deal with 640 varieties of fish but I do not cook all these varieties.”

Kumar who was in Qatar to present a talk on food safety, said that the three varieties of fish have been branded under the red category on several websites as well as by international agencies. “Red, orange and green are the three categories that the fish has been classified into. Green is the category that can be consumed freely while orange refers to limited availability and red is the category that should be avoided ,” he explained.

He continued: “We should not demand these fish so that the fishing of these varieties will be reduced. There should be concerted efforts to protect them. Judicious consumption and concrete efforts are necessary to protect these species. If not, they will be seen only in aquarium in future.”

Kumar, who has hosted several cookery shows on a number of Indian television channels, said that his Dubai based company, Foodwise, provides consultation to entrepreneurs, companies and retailers in food industry. At present, he is presenting cookery shows on two television channels.

Kumar said that there are four important points that people should remember while preparing food. He explained :“Food safety from farm to fork is our motto.Proper storage, separation, selection and preparation are important in the whole process. The food has to be properly stored and should be cooked at proper temperature. Similarly there should be right separation of food items as well as the decision about the quality of the food item.”

He continued: “ If you are in doubt about the condition of a food item, do not use it. In food safety, there is no middle path. To trust is good; but not to trust is better if you have doubts about any food item. Never buy anything in doubt, store anything in doubt and eat anything in doubt.”

The celebrity chef also said there is always the possibility for cross contamination in a refrigerator unless the food items are stored properly.

“Food is stored for safe consumption. It should be consumed within a reasonable time. Similarly, butter, milk and other dairy products should not be stored along with meat. It can create cross-contamination as the bacteria in the meat can get into the milk products,” he added.