Crocodile meat is hardly a gourmet dish.
But for some people, it is savoured for a very different reason - in the belief that the meat possesses curative effect for asthma and similar respiratory illness.
The Consumer Council has set out to investigate if the crocodile meat available on sale at retail outlets of Chinese dried seafood is actually what it claims to be.
The result is startling and no small a disappointment to consumers buying dried crocodile meat for a specific medical purpose.
For the chance of buying genuine, unadulterated dried crocodile meat at these outlets is sadly only about 30%.
Out of the 24 different samples put to the test, only 8 could be identified to be genuine crocodile meat. One of the 8 samples was found to also contain the meat of a different reptile - snake.
The remainder 16 samples of purportedly crocodile meat were all but imitation - of either monitor lizard (14) or snake (2) dried meat.
The problem with imitation crocodile meat is not just a matter of culinary or money. It may give the consumers a false sense of security - thus delaying proper medical treatment - in the efficacy of the meat they are consuming for the relief of their conditions.
In the test, it was found that the price range of genuine dried crocodile meat was between $434 and $1,280 per catty, while that of imitations from $130 to $576.
The methodology used in the test involved screening the DNA sequences of the samples in accordance with the SCAR (Sequence-Characterized Amplified Region) method.
The 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA encoding sequences of the samples were then compared with the established DNA sequences of crocodile, monitor lizard and snake as stored in the database of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the US National Center for Biotechnology Information.
In the course of the test sample buying at 24 different retail outlets, one sample per catty per location, it was observed that only 12 of the shops would specify on the sales receipt the product as crocodile meat.
Many others would only record on the receipts "dried fish meat（魚肉干）" or "quality fish meat（靚魚肉）". One outlet even refused to issue a proper receipt bearing the company name, but instead produced a small piece of blank paper printed with the price but with no specification of the product sold whatsoever.
The Consumer Council has notified, at the first instance, various Government agencies concerned - the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) - of the test findings.
The C&ED and AFCD are joining forces in a concerted effort to crackdown on this malpractice.
The C&ED has warned that shops that claim any other meat to be crocodile meat may have contravened the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, Cap 362. Any consumers suspecting that a shop is engaged in applying false trade descriptions to goods can call the C&ED complaint hotline 2545 6182.
The AFCD has cautioned that all species of crocodile and monitor lizard and many species of snake are endangered species listed under the protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap 586.
Import, export, re-export or possession of specimens of these scheduled species, whether alive, dead, its parts or derivatives are subject to licence control and, in some cases, even prohibited. Traders are required to obtain valid permits before importing or marketing such products.
Importers and retailers are therefore urged to check carefully the species and sources before putting the products on the market. Consumers, on the other hand, should check their permits before making any purchase.
The CFS has noted no reports of intoxication arising from consuming lizard and snake species. Consumers intent on taking crocodile meat for medical purpose are advised to consult their doctor first.
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