Import and sale of raw oysters harvested in Cancale, France suspended

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 6) that the import into and sale in Hong Kong of raw oysters harvested in Cancale, France have been suspended with immediate effect.
 
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 a local importer, Saison Food Service Limited, had imported raw oysters which were suspected to be contaminated with norovirus. The CFS immediately contacted the importer concerned for follow-up and the importer confirmed that it had imported the affected oysters from the above-mentioned area. 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 information provided by the importer, around 5 kilograms of the affected oysters were sold in Hong Kong and a recall has been initiated according to the CFS' advice. Members of the public may call the importer's hotline at 2537 8080 during office hours to enquire about the recall. The trade should also stop selling the affected product if they possess it.

"As oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens such as norovirus, chemical contaminants and 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 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/Friday, April 6, 2018