Food Safety Focus (73rd Issue, August 2012) – Food Incident Highlight

Salmonella in Powdered Formula

Last month, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission that a kind of dietary fibre (Galacto-oligosaccharide, GOS) produced in Korea was contaminated with Salmonella. This ingredient has been used in various food products distributed to many countries including the Netherlands , United Kingdom , United States and China . One powdered formula with this ingredient was available in Hong Kong . The CFS has immediately alerted the trade to stop sale and issued a food alert warning the public not to consume the affected product.

Salmonella infection may cause fever, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The effects on people with lowered immunity could be more severe and sometimes may even lead to death.

Powdered formula for infants and young children is not a sterile product and, if contaminated with pathogens, can cause serious illness. It should be reconstituted with water not less than 70 ^oC and cooled down to a suitable temperature for feeding. Reconstituted milk should be consumed within two hours.

The affected product "TwoBebes Growing up milk 3"