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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (March 14) said that the ice-cream products produced by Blue Bell Creameries of the United States (US), found to be contaminated with the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, had not been imported into Hong Kong.
A CFS spokesman said, "The Centre, through its routine Food Incident Surveillance System, learnt that certain ice-cream products produced by Blue Bell Creameries of the US had been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, leading to several cases of Listeriosis in Kansas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration are collaborating to investigate the incident. Consumers are advised to stop eating the affected products and throw away any remaining stock of the products immediately.
"Surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes in food is one of the priority targets of the CFS. Hence, the Centre has taken immediate follow-up actions upon learning the incident, including checking relevant records of import permission in Hong Kong. No information showed that the affected products had been imported into Hong Kong."
Details of the affected products are as follows:
Names:
1. Chocolate Chip Country Cookie
(Product code: SKU #196)
2. Great Divide Bar
(Product code: SKU #108)
3. Sour Pop Green Apple Bar
(Product code: SKU #221)
4. Cotton Candy Bar
(Product code: SKU #216)
5. Scoops
(Product code: SKU #117)
6. Vanilla Stick Slices
(Product code: SKU #964)
7. Almond Bars
(Product code: SKU #156)
8. 6 Pk Cotton Candy Bars
(Product code: SKU #245)
9. 6 Pk Sour Pop Green Apple Bars
(Product code: SKU #249)
10. 12 Pk No Sugar Added Mooo Bars
(Product code: SKU #343)
Producer: Blue Bell Creameries
Place of origin: US
"The US ice-cream producer concerned has initiated a recall of all affected products and shut down the relevant production lines in the US. However, for the sake of prudence, the CFS urges people travelling to the US to stay alert and pay attention to the latest development of the incident," the spokesman said.
"Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperature. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in the newborns," he added.
The CFS will continue to closely monitor the situation and take appropriate follow-up actions.
Ends/Saturday, March 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 23:01
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