Call to stop sale and consumption of plasticiser-tainted satay paste imported from Taiwan (with photo)

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (April 13) that one sample of satay paste imported from Taiwan was found to contain a plasticiser, Di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP).

The CFS called on the public to stop consumption of the affected batch of the product and instructed the trade to immediately stop selling it.

Details of the affected product are:

Brand name and food name: Kimlan Satay Paste
Manufacturer: Kimlan Foods Co Ltd
Importer: Titan Enterprises (HK) Limited
Place of origin: Taiwan
Net weight: 128 grams
Best before: June 2, 2014

"The sample was collected for testing during the CFS's stepped-up checks on similar food products in response to the detection of a plasticiser in a similar food product in Taiwan late last month," a CFS spokesman said.

"The test result showed that the Kimlan Satay Paste sample contained DIDP at a level of 190 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the action level of 9ppm adopted by the CFS," he added.

"Dietary exposure estimation revealed that the exposure to DIDP by even high consumers of the satay paste sample (with a daily consumption of about 11 grams) would not exceed the safety reference value, i.e. the tolerable daily intake of 0.15mg/kg of body weight established by the European Food Safety Authority," the spokesman said.

Even though dietary exposure estimation showed no health concern from consuming the sample, the spokesman said that as a precautionary measure the CFS had instructed the importer concerned to immediately stop selling the affected batch of the product and recall it.

The CFS was informed that the importer had initiated a product recall and set up a hotline at 2893 8222 during office hours to answer consumers' enquiries about recall arrangements.

Those who have purchased the affected product are advised to stop consumption of it.

"The CFS will inform the Taiwanese authority of the incident and has alerted the trade. The CFS will follow up the case, closely monitor the recall arrangements, conduct checks at retail outlets to see if the affected batch is available for sale and take samples of other batches of the product as well as similar products in the market for testing," the spokesman said.

"If any food product is found to be tainted with plasticisers, the CFS will take the necessary follow-up action to safeguard public health," he said.

Ends/Friday, April 13, 2012
Issued at HKT 17:49

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) announced today (April 13) that a sample of Kimlan Satay Paste imported from Taiwan (pictured) was found to contain a plasticiser, Di-isodecyl phthalate. The CFS has advised the public to stop consumption of the affected batch of the product and has instructed the trade to immediately stop selling it.