Catfish imported from Vietnam is safe for human consumption, Singapore's Agri-Food and Vetinary Authority (AVA) told the The Straits Times after rumours on the internet generated hundreds of calls from parents to the food safety agency.

The AVA was responding to a check by The Straits Times concerning rumours that Vietnamese catfish were farmed in the heavily polluted Mekong River and were laced with toxic chemicals such as arsenic. Some rumours also circulated that the fish were injected with hormones made from urine.

The rumours generated calls to the AVA from concerned parents who fed the catfish to their children.

AVA said its tests has concluded the fish is clean.

According to The Straits Times, Singapore imported 7,400 tonnes of catfish the first seven months of this year, compared to 12,172 tonnes the whole of last year.