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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (June 29) released the findings of its food safety report for May. Of the 10,500 food samples tested, 11 were found unsatisfactory (three were announced earlier) and the overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.
A CFS spokesman said about 4,000 food samples were taken for chemical tests. Some 1,600 samples were collected for microbiological tests and the remaining 5,000 (including about 4,700 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 at detecting 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 2,600 samples of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, preserved vegetables and pickled fruits, dried vegetables and ready-to-eat vegetables for analysis.
One sample each of dried winter mushroom, onion, Chinese amaranth, and baby spinach were found to contain a metallic contaminant, cadmium, at levels of 3.15 parts per million (ppm), 0.16 ppm, 0.17 ppm and 0.29 ppm respectively, exceeding the legal limit of 0.1 ppm.
"Upon normal consumption, it is unlikely that consumption of the above vegetables with cadmium at the detected levels would pose any adverse health effects to consumers," the spokesman said.
All the remaining samples passed other tests (e.g. pathogens, pesticides and preservatives).
Meat, poultry and their products
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The CFS completed the testing of 700 samples, including fresh, chilled and frozen pork, beef and poultry, ready-to-eat dishes of meat and poultry served at food establishments, and meat- and poultry-made products, such as Chinese preserved meat, sausages and ham.
Other than the three fresh meat samples found to contain sulphur dioxide, a preservative not permitted in fresh and chilled meat, announced last month, all samples were satisfactory for tests like pathogens, pesticide residues and preservatives.
Aquatic products
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The CFS took some 1,200 samples of fish, shellfish, shrimp, prawn, crab, squid and their products for analyses. One sample of tuna sashimi was detected to contain a metallic contaminant, mercury, at a level of 3.6 ppm, exceeding the legal limit of 0.5 ppm.
"Occasional consumption of the sample at the level of mercury detected will not cause any adverse health effect. But long-term consumption of the sample may affect the nervous system," the spokesman said.
Samples for other tests (e.g. pathogens, preservatives and veterinary drug residues) were found to be satisfactory.
Milk, milk products and frozen confections
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The CFS took about 1,000 samples of ice cream, cheese, milk and milk products for tests.
The total bacteria counts of two ice cream scoop samples of the same brand but different flavours were found ranging from 170,000 to 320,000 per gramme, exceeding the legal limit of 50,000 per gramme.
Another ice cream scoop sample of another brand was detected to contain 300 coliform organisms per gramme, exceeding the legal limit of 100 per gramme.
The spokesman said, "Both total bacteria count and coliform organisms were found exceeding the legal limits. This indicates that the hygienic conditions were unsatisfactory and improvement measures are required."
Samples that underwent other tests (e.g. pathogens, melamine, preservatives, veterinary drug residues and colouring matters) were all satisfactory.
Cereals, grains and their products
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The CFS took some 300 samples of rice, noodles, flour, bread and breakfast cereals for analyses. All samples passed the tests.
Other food commodities
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The analysis of the remaining 4,700 food samples consisting of mixed dishes, dim sum, beverages, sushi, sashimi, sugar, sweets, condiments, sauces, snacks, eggs and egg products were satisfactory.
Conclusion
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The CFS has taken follow-up actions on all the unsatisfactory samples such as issuing warning letters to the vendors concerned (including wholesalers and importers) and taking follow-up samples for testing. Prosecution will be initiated if there is sufficient evidence.
The spokesman advised consumers to patronise reliable retailers. They are also advised to maintain a balanced diet to avoid excessive intake of harmful substances from a small range of food items.
Fruits and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet as they are good sources of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. They should be soaked and washed thoroughly before cooking to remove cadmium adhered to the surface, he said.
"Fish contain many essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality proteins. Moderate consumption of a variety of fish is recommended. As for pregnant women, women planning pregnancy and young children are the susceptible groups being affected by mercury. When choosing fish, they should avoid eating large predatory fish," he added.
The spokesman also reminded the manufacturers of frozen confections to ensure that the process of producing frozen confections is hygienic, including proper disinfection of the equipment. They should also pay attention to details like temperature control during transportation.
Retailers of frozen confections, particularly those which sell scoop and soft ice-cream, should discard the defrosted products and not re-freeze melted frozen confections for sale, drain off and discard leftover frozen confections every day, maintain all equipment and utensils in clean and good condition, and observe hygienic practices during all preparation and handling processes.
The spokesman further reminded the trade to maintain a good recording system in accordance with the Food Safety Ordinance to allow source tracing if needed.
Ends/Friday, June 29, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:32
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