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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) recently collected 25 samples of peanut butter and related products such as cookies to test for Salmonella. Satisfactory results of 15 samples were announced last week. The results of the remaining 10 samples available today (February 3) showed that all are satisfactory.
The sample testing was conducted in response to information obtained from the US authorities that some cases of Salmonella infection in the US were related to peanut-containing products produced by the Peanut Corporation of America at its Blakely, Georgia, processing plant.
Some food manufacturers in the US have recalled their products as the affected peanut-containing products were used in the manufacturing process.
¡§The CFS has been in close contact with the US authorities since the start of the incident. Whenever relevant information from the US authorities is received, we will inform the trade of the latest development,¡¨ a spokesman for the CFS said.
¡§The CFS was informed by the US authorities on January 29 that certain batches of Healthy Valley brand ¡¥Organic Peanut Crunch Chewy Granola Bars¡¦ suspected of being contaminated with Salmonella were found to have been exported to Hong Kong.
¡§We have subsequently alerted the trade to stop selling the affected products and appealed to the public not to consume them. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the development of the incident.¡¨
Consumers and the trade can obtain the list of products that have been recalled in the US from the US Food and Drug Administration website at: www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm
¡§Should consumers be in possession of any of the recalled products, they should dispose of them and thoroughly wash their hands afterwards. If there is doubt about a product, do not consume it,¡¨ the spokesman said.
Salmonella is a pathogen that may cause food poisoning. The symptoms include nausea, fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. The symptoms are more severe in infants and the elderly.
Ends/Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Issued at HKT 18:41
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