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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 31) has again detected paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin in geoduck clams imported from Canada. The Centre urged the public not to consume the batch of geoduck clams and requested the trade to stop selling the product concerned.
A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS has been taking proactive follow-up actions since the detection of PSP toxin in live Canadian geoduck clams earlier. In addition to banning import of geoduck clams harvested from the whole Province of British Columbia since December 24, the CFS also traced products of the same kind imported from Canada before the date.
"During investigation, an importer named Homefine International Seafood Trading Company was found to have imported geoduck clams from the Province. The CFS took a sample of the geoduck clams imported by the importer for testing and the result showed that the sample contained PSP toxin at a level of 85 micrograms per 100 grams. The concerned products were imported last Tuesday (December 23) (i.e. before the ban on the import of geoduck clams harvested from the whole Province of British Columbia was imposed)."
The spokesman said that the CFS has requested the importer concerned to stop sale of the affected food and confirmed that there was no remaining stock. The Canadian authorities would be informed of the current test result. Investigation is still ongoing.
PSP toxin can cause symptoms such as numbness of mouth and limbs and gastrointestinal discomfort. In severe cases, paralysis with respiratory arrest and even death may occur. This natural toxin is sometimes found in bi-valve shellfish. It is heat-stable and cannot be destroyed through cooking.
The spokesman urged consumers who have bought the affected product to immediately stop consumption. If they have bought similar food item recently, but were not sure about its place of origin, they should also refrain from eating it for prudence sake and check the product's origin with relevant retailers. The trade should also stop selling the product concerned. Members of the public should seek medical advice if they feel sick after eating the product concerned. So far, the CFS has not received any related PSP food poisoning notification and has informed the accident and emergency departments of local hospitals to take note of relevant symptoms.
Some precautionary measures to avoid shellfish poisoning are as follows:
* Remove the viscera before cooking, avoid consuming the cooking sauce and eat a small amount of shellfish in one meal;
* Children, patients and the elderly may be susceptible to poisoning and should be cautious in consuming shellfish;
* When symptoms occur after consuming shellfish, seek medical advice immediately.
The CFS will alert the trade of the incident, continue to follow up on the case closely and take appropriate actions, including enhancing surveillance of shellfish imported from Canada.
Ends/Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Issued at HKT 22:13
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