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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (May 13) urged the public not to consume certain batches of five kinds of goat cheese from raw milk, imported from France, as the products might have been contaminated with salmonella, a pathogen. The trade should also stop using or selling the products concerned immediately.
Details of the products are as follows:
Product name: 1. LE PETIT FIANCE DES PYRENEES
2. LA TOMME DE CHEVRE CABRIOULET
3. LA TOMME DE CHEVRE ESPELETTE
4. LE CABRI ARIEGOIS
5. LE CARRE ARIEGOIS
Place of origin: France
Manufacture date: between March 10 and April 6, 2015
"The Centre received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Commission that a batch of PETIT FIANCE DES PYRENEES goat cheese from raw milk was found to have been contaminated with salmonella. For the sake of prudence, the French manufacturer concerned has initiated a recall of the above five kinds of goat cheese from raw milk manufactured between the aforesaid period. According to the information provided by the RASFF, a small volume of the affected products has been imported into Hong Kong," a spokesman for the CFS said.
The CFS has contacted the importer concerned in Hong Kong as notified by the RASFF, Repertoire Culinaire Hong Kong Limited. According to the importer, a total of 24 pieces of LE PETIT FIANCE DES PYRENEES cheese (about 20 kilogrammes in total, with best before date of June 26, 2015) have been imported and upon notification of the incident by its supplier earlier, 17 pieces in stock have been disposed of. The importer has also informed the restaurants which have bought the affected product to stop using and dispose of the product in question. The CFS has also contacted the restaurants concerned and confirmed that all affected goat cheese from raw milk was disposed of.
The CFS will also alert the trade to the incident and instruct them to stop using or selling the affected products immediately should they have imported and still possess the products.
"Salmonella infection may cause fever and gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The effects on infants, young children, the elderly and patients with a weak immune system could be more severe and sometimes may even lead to death," the spokesman said.
He urged members of the public to stop consuming the affected batch of product if they have purchased it, and to seek medical advice if they feel sick upon consumption. The CFS has not received any reports or complaints of persons feeling unwell after consumption of the products concerned in the past three months.
The CFS will continue to follow up the case and take appropriate actions.
Ends/Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:24
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