Consumers urged not to consume two kinds of chilled food from Taiwan

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (October 23) urged the public not to consume two kinds of chilled food products manufactured in and imported from Taiwan as they were made with substandard lard. Traders who still have the products concerned in their possession should stop supplying the products and should recall the products.

Product details provided by the Taiwanese authorities are as follows:

(1) Product name: Fish and Cheese Stuffing Balls
Place of origin: Taiwan
Weight: 3 kilograms (kg) per pack
Use-by date: May 20, 2016
Manufacturer: Champion Refrigerant Foods Co Ltd
Importer: Sun Wing Hing Food Products Co Limited

(2) Product name: Cheese Fish Bun
Place of origin: Taiwan
Weight: 3kg per pack
Use-by date: April 25, 2016
Manufacturer: Champion Refrigerant Foods Co Ltd
Importer: Sam Long International Limited

A CFS spokesman said that the Centre received the latest notification from the Taiwanese authorities today informing that the above two kinds of food products were made with substandard lard produced by Cheng I Food Co Ltd, and a total of about 5 400kg of the affected products were exported to Hong Kong.

He said, "The CFS has contacted the two importers concerned and learnt that they had stopped selling and initiated a recall of the affected products. The CFS will alert the trade to the incident to ensure that the affected products have not entered the local market via other channels."

Members of the public and traders who would like to secure a copy of the list of affected products can pay attention to the relevant information available on the CFS' website: (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fst/whatsnew_fst_Substandard_Oil_Produced_in_Taiwan.html).

According to Section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132), all food for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction. Section 52 of the Ordinance provides that any person who sells to the prejudice of a purchaser any food which is not of the nature, substance or quality of the food demanded by the purchaser shall be guilty of an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months upon conviction.

The spokesman said that the CFS will continue to keep close contact with the Taiwanese authorities and take appropriate actions in a timely manner to safeguard food safety.

Ends/Thursday, October 23, 2014