Shenzhen food safety authorities said Tuesday that turbot, which was recently in the center of a food scare after being found to contain cancer-causing chemicals, is safe to eat as long as it carries a green tag issued by quality inspection departments.

The tag, which guarantees the quality of the fish, has so far been seen on turbot on sale in Beijing and Shanghai.

But local wholesalers are still hesitating, the Daily Sunshine said yesterday.

"A turbot raiser from Weihai, Shandong Province yesterday called to ask if we can resume sales of the fish, promising there will be no forbidden chemicals in their produce," said a manager at the Luofang seafood market.

All seafood restaurants stopped buying turbot after the local food safety office issued a warning about the fish Nov. 30.

"Seldom people order that course now. We are cautious and will not start buying turbot again until some time later," said the owner of a seafood restaurant in Hua-qiangbei.

There is no ban on turbot in Shenzhen. However, the food safety authorities warned residents about the presence of the carcinogenic chemicals and ordered businesses to stop buying Shandong turbot.

In Shanghai, the food authorities detected traces of AOZ, a carcinogenic antibiotic, and other antibiotic residues including malachite green in turbot in mid-November, sparking panic around the nation. The turbot sold in Shanghai came from Shandong.

Editor: Donald