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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) collected water samples from 17 wholesale seafood stalls at the Aberdeen promenade for testing on November 6. The test results obtained yesterday (November 11) did not show the presence of vibrio cholerae, but seven of them contained E.Coli bacteria exceeding the level permitted by law.

Under section 10A of the Food Business Regulations (Chapter 132 subsidiary legislation), no person shall in the course of any food business keep any live fish or shell fish intended for human consumption in water of a quality below the specified standard, ie. E.Coli count exceeding 610 per 100ml.

A spokesman for the department said the seven sub-standard samples contained E.Coli ranging from 620 to 4800 per 100 ml of water.

The department has taken out prosecution against the seven incriminated seafood stalls. They are "Fuk Chai Seafood", "Sing Kee Seafood", "Hoi Chun Seafood", "Fo Yau Seafood", "Ho Lee Seafood", "Ming Fat Seafood" and "Kam Pui Seafood Wholesale".

"We will closely monitor the quality of fish tank water in those wholesale seafood stalls and take water samples for testing every week," the spokesman said.

"The Government plans to hand over the land occupied by the wholesale seafood stalls to the Fish Marketing Organisation for management by the end of the year. The departments concerned are now working on the detailed arrangements," he added.

Ends/Wednesday, November 12, 2003

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