Food Safety Focus (81st Issue, April 2013) – Food Incident Highlight

Chocolate Eggs with Plastic Pieces

Last month, the Centre for Food Safety issued a food alert on a chocolate egg product, Kit Kat Chunky Collection Giant Egg, which was voluntarily recalled by the company in many places including Hong Kong as small pieces of plastic were found in the UK product.

The affected Kit Kat Chunky Collection Giant Egg product

From time to time, foreign matters such as plastic, stone chips, glass or metal fragments are found in pre-packaged food products. Pieces of plastic may enter food products from the plastic materials used in any part of the food processing chain as well as from plastic castings of packaging materials. These foreign matters pose a physical hazard and may cause choking or cuts when ingested.

Food manufacturers should pay attention in handling raw materials and equipment to prevent product contamination. They are reminded to practise good manufacturing practice in order to minimise the chance of foreign matters entering food.