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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (November 27) released its Fifth Food Safety Report for 2008, which included food surveillance results for September and October.
Announcing the results at a press conference, Assistant Director (Food Surveillance and Control) of the CFS, Dr Miranda S Y Lee, said about 15,600 food samples were tested. Among them, about 3,200 samples were taken for microbiological tests and about 12,100 for chemical tests.
"The overall satisfactory rate is 99.6%, with 69 samples being found unsatisfactory, which includes 39 unsatisfactory samples tested for melamine announced earlier," she said.
While microbiological tests cover pathogenic bacteria and viruses, chemical tests are to detect melamine, sweeteners, preservatives, metallic contamination, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and pesticides.
Samples tested included vegetables, fruits and their products; meat, poultry and their products; aquatic products; milk, milk products and frozen confections; and cereals, grains and their products.
Vegetables, fruits and products
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About 5,000 samples of vegetables, fruit and their products were taken for microbiological and chemical tests. Apart from four unsatisfactory samples of bottled fermented bean curd cube already announced, all the samples were satisfactory.
Meat, poultry and products
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The CFS collected about 1,300 samples of meat, poultry and their products for microbiological and chemical tests. Apart from three unsatisfactory meat samples announced previously, there were eight unsatisfactory samples.
Regarding tests for preservatives, four samples of fresh beef and one sample of fresh pork were found to contain sulphur dioxide, which are not permitted in fresh meat, at levels ranging from 79ppm to 2,400ppm.
On veterinary drug residues, a frozen suckling pig sample was found to contain chlortetracycline (0.16ppm) and a frozen chicken wing tip sample was found to contain doxycline (0.63ppm), both exceeding the legal limit of 0.1ppm.
For pathogens, a sample of spicy beef was found to contain Salmonella.
All samples tested for colouring matters had satisfactory results.
Aquatic products
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About 900 samples (including freshwater fish, marine fish and shellfish) were tested for micro-organisms, chemicals and toxins. Apart from one prepackaged scallop sample and five noodlefish samples announced previously, there were six unsatisfactory samples.
On veterinary drug residues, two samples of deep-fried minced fish, one sample of minced fish in fried eggplant and one sample of minced fish in fried green pepper were found to contain a trace amount of malachite green at levels ranging from 0.0045ppm to 0.033ppm. A grouper fillet sample was found to contain metabolite of nitrofuran, at a level of 0.0032ppm.
¡@¡@For pathogens, a raw oyster sample was found to contain norovirus nucleic acid.
¡@¡@For colouring matters and metallic contamination, all the test results were satisfactory.
Milk, milk products and frozen confections
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The CFS took some 4,000 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections for microbiological and chemical analyses. Apart from 10 unsatisfactory samples tested for melamine announced previously, all the sample results were satisfactory.
Cereals, grains and products
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About 400 samples were tested for micro-organisms and chemicals and found satisfactory.
Other food commodities
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About 4,000 samples including eggs, egg products, snacks, dim sum, beverages, sushi, sashimi, sweets, condiments and sauces were tested. Apart from 29 unsatisfactory samples tested for melamine already announced and one sample of instant noodle with vegetable and mushroom and one sample of egg and tomato sandwich announced today in the survey on Western and fast-food style breakfast, a non-bottled tea of apricot kernel and chrysanthemum flavour was found to contain non-permitted colouring matter Orange II.
Summing up
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"Of the current round of food sample results, most of the exceedances or breaches were not serious and would not pose immediate health risks," Dr Lee said.
"The unsatisfactory samples were mainly related to melamine found exceeding the legal limits, the use of excessive or non-permitted food additives like veterinary drugs, preservatives and colouring matters." She urged the food trade to use only permitted food additives, follow good manufacturing practice and comply with legal requirements.
"Regarding the unsatisfactory samples, the CFS has taken follow-up actions, including tracing the source of food in question, stopping sale, taking further samples and issuing warning letters. If there is sufficient evidence, legal action will also be taken," she said.
Ends/Thursday, November 27, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:51
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