CFS announces food safety report for March

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (April 30) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 10 000 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for 10 vegetable samples which were detected with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits and were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.

A CFS spokesman said about 3 300 food samples had been taken for chemical tests. Some 700 samples were collected for microbiological tests and the remaining 6 000 (including about 5 900 samples taken from food imported from Japan) were collected for testing of radiation levels.

The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests aimed at detecting pesticides, preservatives, metallic contamination, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.

The samples comprised about 2 700 samples of vegetables and fruits and their products; 600 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 1 300 samples of aquatic and related products; 500 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 700 samples of cereals, grains and their products; and 4 200 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products, snacks etc).

The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples including informing the trade concerned of the test results, instructing the trade concerned to stop sale of the incriminated food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.

The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risk.

Ends/Thursday, April 30, 2015