CFS announces food safety report for September

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (October 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 13 100 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for 20 unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.8 per cent.

A CFS spokesman said about 600 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, some 4 600 samples were taken for chemical tests and the remaining 7 900 (including about 7 100 taken from food imported from Japan) were collected for testing of radiation levels.

The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests aimed at detecting pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.

The samples comprised about 4 100 samples of vegetables and fruits and their products; 700 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 1 400 samples of aquatic and related products; 600 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 1 000 samples of cereals, grains and their products; and 5 300 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

The 20 unsatisfactory samples comprised 11 vegetable and fruit samples found with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits; three preserved pomelo samples containing undeclared permitted sweeteners; two preserved vegetable samples detected with excessive preservatives; two fish samples detected with excessive mercury; one milk drink sample found with an excessive total bacterial count; and one thickened cream sample found with a colony count exceeding the legal limit.

The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples including informing the trade concerned of the test results, instructing the trade concerned to stop sale of the incriminated food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.

Since the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap 132CM) came into effect on August 1 last year, as of September 30 this year the CFS had taken over 36 200 food samples at import, wholesale and retail levels for testing for pesticide residues. The overall unsatisfactory rate is less than 0.4 per cent.

The spokesman added that excessive pesticide residues in food may arise from the trade not observing Good Agricultural Practice, e.g. using excessive pesticides and not allowing sufficient time for pesticides to decompose before harvesting. The maximum residue limit (MRL) of pesticide residues in food is not a safety indicator. It is the maximum concentration of pesticide residues to be permitted in a food commodity under the Good Agricultural Practice when applying pesticides. In this connection, consumption of food with pesticide residues higher than the MRL does not necessarily mean it will lead to any adverse health effect.

The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.

Ends/Friday, October 30, 2015