Trade instructed to temporarily suspend importing and selling certain batches of raw oysters from French brand Josephine
******************************************************************************************
A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission on suspected gastroenteritis cases in the Netherlands that may be related to consumption of raw oysters from French brand Josephine produced and packed between March 5 and 25, 2026. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately instructed the trade to temporarily suspend the import into and sale within Hong Kong of the raw oysters concerned. As a precautionary measure, the brand concerned has voluntarily removed from shelves the raw oysters concerned. So far, the CFS has not received any referral cases of food poisoning or food complaint related to ingestion of the raw oysters concerned."
The spokesman said the trade should also stop selling the raw oysters from French brand Josephine produced and packed during the above-mentioned period if they possess them. The CFS has also stepped up the collection of raw oyster samples for testing.
The spokesman pointed out that as oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens can accumulate in them if they are grown in or harvested from contaminated water. Raw or partially cooked oysters are high-risk foods. 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 CFS has informed the French authorities and also notified the local trade. It will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. An investigation is ongoing.
Ends/Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Issued at HKT 23:28
Issued at HKT 23:28
NNNN