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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) today (January 31) released the findings of its food safety report for December 2011. Of the 14,400 food samples tested, five were found to be unsatisfactory and the overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.
Among the five unsatisfactory samples, three had their test results announced earlier. They comprised one sweetened winter melon sample, one bamboo fungus sample and one sliced sea volute sample. All of them were found to contain a preservative, sulphur dioxide, at levels exceeding the legal limits.
A CFS spokesman said about 5,900 food samples were taken for chemical tests. Some 1,700 samples were collected for microbiological tests and the remaining 6,800 (including 5,600 samples taken from food imported from Japan) for testing of radiation levels.
The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators while the chemical tests aimed to detect pesticides, preservatives, metallic contamination, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and plasticisers, etc.
The samples included vegetables and fruits and their products; meat and poultry and their products; aquatic products; milk, milk products and frozen confections; and cereals, grains and their products.
Vegetables, fruits and their products
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The CFS took about 3,800 samples of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, preserved vegetables and pickled fruits, dried vegetables and ready-to-eat vegetables for analysis.
All samples were found satisfactory, except for a sweetened winter melon sample and a bamboo fungus sample announced on January 11, which were found to contain excessive preservative, sulphur dioxide.
Meat, poultry and their products
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The CFS took about 1,200 samples of fresh, chilled and frozen pork, beef and poultry, ready-to-eat dishes of meat and poultry served at food premises, and meat- and poultry-made products, such as Chinese preserved meat, sausage and ham, for tests.
A roasted duck sample was found with residues of a non-permitted veterinary drug, Chloramphenicol, at a level of 0.0003 parts per million (ppm). The spokesman noted that normal consumption of the sample with the detected level of Chloramphenicol was unlikely to pose adverse health effects.
Results of other tests (e.g. pathogens, preservatives and colouring matters) were all satisfactory.
Aquatic products
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The CFS took some 1,700 samples of fish, shellfish, shrimp, prawn, crab, squid and their products for analyses. Other than a sliced sea volute sample announced on January 11, which was found to contain excessive sulphur dioxide (as a preservative), all the remaining samples passed the tests.
Milk, milk products and frozen confections
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The CFS took about 700 samples of ice-cream, cheese, milk and milk products for tests. A frozen confection sample was found to have a total bacterial count of 250,000 per gramme, exceeding the legal limit of 50,000 per gramme. This indicated that the food was processed under sub-optimal hygienic conditions.
"The sample was collected at import level. The consignment concerned has been marked and sealed by CFS. No affected product has entered the market," the spokesman said.
Results of all other tests (e.g. pathogens, melamine, preservatives, veterinary drug residues, colouring matters and sweeteners) were satisfactory.
Cereals, grains and their products
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The CFS took some 500 samples of rice, noodles, flour, bread and breakfast cereal for analyses. All results passed the tests.
Other food commodities
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The CFS took about 6,500 food samples of mixed dishes, dim sum, beverages, sushi, sashimi, sugar, sweets, condiments, sauces, snacks, eggs and egg products for analyses. All samples were satisfactory.
Conclusion
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The CFS has taken follow-up actions on the unsatisfactory samples, including asking the vendors concerned to stop selling and to dispose of the affected products, taking follow-up samples and issuing warning letters to the vendors. Prosecution will be taken if there is sufficient evidence.
The spokesman advised consumers to patronise licensed restaurants and reliable retailers, and adopt a balanced diet so as to avoid excessive intake of certain harmful substances as a result of frequent consumption of a small range of food items.
Food trade operators should use permitted food additives only in an appropriate manner and follow Good Manufacturing Practice. Retailers should source food from reliable suppliers. All traders should maintain a good recording system to allow source tracing if needed.
Summary of food surveillance programme for 2011
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Concluding the food surveillance programme for 2011, the spokesman said that apart from routine food surveillance, the CFS had conducted a number of targeted as well as seasonal and popular food surveillance projects.
"Apart from samples of imported Japanese food taken for testing of radiation level in response to the Fukushima nuclear power plant incident in Japan, about 64,900 samples were tested by the CFS last year. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.7 per cent, which was comparable to the results of recent years. This indicates that food safety has been maintained at a high standard in Hong Kong," he said.
"The exceedances or breaches for most of the unsatisfactory samples were not serious and would not pose adverse health effects to the general public. For individual food items with unsatisfactory test results, the CFS has taken prompt and effective follow-up actions to safeguard public health," he said.
He added that in planning the food surveillance programme, the CFS would as always take into consideration a number of factors, including the food consumption level, the risk of the food concerned, past surveillance data as well as local and overseas food incidents.
Ends/Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:35
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