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CFS announces food safety report for June
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     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (July 31) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. Of the 10,000 food samples tested, four samples were found to be unsatisfactory and the overall satisfactory rate was 99.96 per cent. The unsatisfactory samples, including vegetables, an aquatic product, milk and fermented red bean curd, failed to pass chemical and microbiological tests.

     A CFS spokesman said about 3,200 food samples had been taken for chemical tests. Some 2,200 samples were collected for microbiological tests and the remaining 4,600 (including about 4,400 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, plasticisers and others.

     The samples included vegetables and fruits and their products; meat and poultry and their products; aquatic and related 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 1,600 samples of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes, preserved  vegetables and pickled fruits, dried vegetables and ready-to-eat vegetables for analyses.

     One sample of Baby Shanghai Green was detected to contain a metal contaminant, cadmium, at a level of 0.13 parts per million (ppm) exceeding the legal limit of 0.1 ppm.

     The spokesman said, "Based on the level of cadmium detected, it is unlikely that the sample would pose any adverse health effect upon normal consumption."

     The remaining samples for other tests (e.g. pesticide residues, preservatives and pathogens) were all satisfactory.

Meat, poultry and their products
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     The CFS completed the testing of about 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. All samples were satisfactory.

Aquatic and related products
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      The CFS took some 1,300 samples of fish, shellfish, shrimp, prawn, crab and squid and their products for analyses. A sample of frozen black cod steak was found to contain a metal contaminant, mercury, at a level of 0.82 ppm exceeding the legal limit of 0.5 ppm.

     "Based on the level of mercury in the sample, it is unlikely to pose adverse health effect on consumers upon normal consumption," the spokesman said.

     The remaining samples for other tests (e.g. pathogens, preservatives, toxins and veterinary drug residues) were all satisfactory.

Milk, milk products and frozen confections
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     About 1,600 samples of ice-cream, cheese, milk and milk products were collected for analyses. The total bacterial count of a sample of fresh milk was found to be 180,000 per millilitre (ml) exceeding the legal limit of a maximum of 30,000 total bacterial count per ml.

     "The fact that the total bacteria count exceeded the legal limit indicates that the hygienic conditions were unsatisfactory, but did not mean it would lead to food poisoning," the spokesman said.

     The sample was taken while following up an unsatisfactory Australian skimmed milk sample announced earlier. Since the first report of the unsatisfactory sample in mid-May, the importer concerned has been suspending all their relevant milk products to facilitate investigation by CFS and Australian authorities, and therefore the product concerned did not enter the retail market.

     All the remaining samples passed the tests (e.g. melamine, preservatives, veterinary drug residues and colouring matters).

Cereals, grains and their products
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     The CFS took about 500 samples of rice, noodles, flour, bread and breakfast cereals for analyses. All samples passed the tests.

Other food commodities
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     The CFS took about 4,300 food samples consisting of mixed dishes, dim sum, beverages, sushi, sashimi, sugar, sweets, condiments, sauces, snacks, eggs and egg products for tests.

     A sample of fermented red bean curd was found to contain Sudan II, a colouring matter not permitted in food. The retailer concerned has stopped the sale of affected product, and the importer has also initiated a recall from retailers and suspended further imports.

     "There have been research results showing that Sudan dyes will cause cancer in animal tests but no sufficient evidence has been found to prove that it will cause cancer in humans as well," the spokesman said.

     Samples for other tests (e.g. pathogens, metallic contaminations, veterinary drug residues) were found to be satisfactory.

Conclusion
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     The CFS has taken follow-up actions on the unsatisfactory samples including tracing the sources of the food items, asking the vendors concerned to stop the sale and dispose of the affected food, taking follow-up food samples and issuing warning letters. Prosecution will be launched if there is sufficient evidence.

     The spokesman reminded consumers to store milk and dairy products strictly in accordance with the instructions on the labels and check the expiry date for milk and dairy products before opening for consumption. In addition, they should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risk.

     The spokesman said that fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet as they are good sources of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. Vegetables should be soaked and washed thoroughly before consumption to remove any contaminants adhering to the surface.

     Fish contain many essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and high quality proteins. Moderate consumption of a variety of fish is recommended, the spokesman said. Pregnant women, women planning pregnancy and young children are susceptible to being affected by mercury. When choosing food, they should avoid eating large predatory fish.

     Milk importers are advised to obtain supplies of fresh and reconstituted milk from licensed milk factories, and import milk or milk beverages from manufacturers approved by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. They should also ensure that quality and safety control plans such as HACCP have been established by milk and dairy product manufacturers.

     The spokesman also advised the trade to comply with legal requirements and follow good manufacturing practice. Retailers should source food from reliable suppliers and maintain a good recording system in accordance with the Food Safety Ordinance to allow source tracing if needed.

Ends/Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:31

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