Import and sale of raw oysters harvested in 50-15-01 zone of Agon Nord in France suspended
******************************************************************************************
A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Commission that raw oysters harvested in the above-mentioned area were found to be contaminated with norovirus. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately suspended the import into and sale within Hong Kong of all raw oysters harvested in the area concerned."
The spokesman said that according to the information provided by the RASFF, a local importer had imported the affected raw oysters harvested in the area concerned into Hong Kong. The CFS immediately contacted the importer concerned for follow-up. The importer confirmed that although it had imported 23 kilograms of the affected oysters, none had entered the market.
"As oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens (such as norovirus), chemical contaminants or natural toxins can accumulate in them if they are grown in or harvested from contaminated water. Regardless of the season or the region in which the oysters are harvested, consuming oysters, particularly raw or partially cooked ones, carries an inherent food safety risk. Susceptible groups, such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases, should avoid eating raw oysters," the spokesman said.
The CFS will inform the French authorities of the import suspension and will also notify the local trade. It will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.
Ends/Thursday, February 15, 2018
Issued at HKT 19:08
Issued at HKT 19:08
NNNN