The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 28) said that the Centre held and tested at import level a consignment of egg products imported from Belgium and found that two chilled liquid egg yolk samples and a chilled liquid whole egg sample contained a pesticide, fipronil, at levels exceeding the legal limit. The products concerned were marked and sealed by the Centre and have not entered the market. The CFS is following up on the incident.

     Details of the products are as follows:

(1) Product: Egg yolk pasteurised
Brand: Coco vite
Place of origin: Belgium
Importer: Maxly Food Company Limited
Packing size: 1 kilogram per pack
Use-by date: October 19, 2017

(2) Product: Whole egg pasteurised
Brand: Coco vite
Place of origin: Belgium
Importer: Maxly Food Company Limited
Packing size: 1 kilogram per pack
Use-by date: October 19, 2017

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "In response to the incident in which Dutch eggs were detected with fipronil, the CFS has already stepped up holding poultry eggs and egg products from member states of the European Union for testing at import level and these products will only be released to the market for sale upon satisfactory test results. The CFS took the above-mentioned samples at import level for testing. The results showed that the two liquid egg yolk samples contained fipronil at a level of 0.13 parts per million (ppm) and 0.14 ppm respectively, and the whole egg sample at a level of 0.056 ppm, with all of them exceeding the maximum residue limit of 0.02 ppm as stipulated in the local legislation."

     "The importer concerned has imported a total of 485 cartons and 224 cartons, with 10 packs each carton, of the affected liquid egg yolk and liquid whole egg respectively. All of them have been marked and sealed earlier by the CFS under the hold and test arrangement and none has entered the market. The importer will either voluntarily surrender the affected products for the CFS' disposal or return them to the country of origin, i.e. Belgium. Should there be sufficient evidence, prosecution will be initiated," the spokesman added.

     Any person who imports, manufactures or sells any food not in compliance with the requirements of the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap 132CM) concerning pesticide residues commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

     The CFS will inform the Belgium authorities and continue to take appropriate follow-up action with regard to the latest developments of the incident to safeguard food safety and public health.

Ends/Monday, August 28, 2017
Issued at HKT 19:08

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