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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (September 10) announced that test results on all 266 mooncake samples collected under a seasonal food surveillance project were satisfactory.
A spokesman for the CFS said that samples of over 20 brands, covering traditional, snowy, ice-cream and other types of mooncakes, had been collected from various retailers and food factories for chemical and microbiological tests as well as nutrition content analysis.
Chemical tests covered colouring matters such as Sudan dyes and tartrazine, preservatives such as sulphur dioxide and sorbic acid, antioxidants, pesticides, heavy metals, aflatoxins, mineral oil and plasticizers. Microbiological tests covered total bacterial count, coliform organisms and pathogens such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. For nutrition content analysis, fat and sugar contents of the samples were tested to see if the test results comply with the declared values on the nutrition labels.
Despite the fact that all the samples tested were satisfactory, the spokesman reminded people to avoid excessive eating of mooncakes as they are mostly high in sugar and fat, and to maintain a balanced diet.
He also advised the public to observe the Five Keys to Food Safety in the purchase, storage and consumption of mooncakes to prevent food-borne diseases.
The Five Keys to Food Safety are as follows:
* Buy mooncakes from reliable outlets rather than patronising unlicensed hawkers; check whether the mooncakes are properly packaged, pay attention to the expiry dates before purchase and eat them within the recommended period;
* Store mooncakes in a refrigerator immediately after purchase (snowy mooncakes should be kept at four degrees Celsius or below, and ice-cream mooncakes at minus 18 degrees Celsius or below) and consume them as soon as possible after taking them out from the refrigerator;
* Use an icebox to carry snowy or ice-cream mooncakes outdoors and consume them as soon as possible;
* Wrap mooncakes properly and separate them from raw food when storing in a refrigerator to prevent cross contamination; and
* Maintain good personal hygiene. Wash hands properly with liquid soap and running water before handling mooncakes.
The spokesman also reminded food traders to adhere to the Good Manufacturing Practice. Other than purchasing food ingredients from reliable suppliers, they should also comply with legal requirements when using food additives.
"Snowy and ice-cream mooncakes, which do not undergo a baking process at high temperature, need to be handled hygienically during processing, transportation and storage to avoid contamination and growth of germs," he said.
The test results and healthy food safety tips are now available on the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:31
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