Import and sale of a kind of prepackaged smoked salmon which might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes prohibited immediately

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (April 27) announced that the CFS has banned the import and sale within Hong Kong of a kind of prepackaged smoked salmon which might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, regardless of batches, with immediate effect to safeguard food safety and public health. The CFS urged members of the public to stop consuming the product in question. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately should they possess it.

Details of the product are as follows:

Product name: Traditional Smoked Scottish Salmon
Brand: Grants Smokehouse
Manufacturer: MacKnight Ltd
Importer: Wilson Foods Intertrade (H.K.) Limited
Net weight: 200 grams
Place of origin: United Kingdom

The spokesman said, "Subsequent to announcing that a batch of prepackaged smoked salmon was detected with Listeria monocytogenes exceeding the legal limit yesterday, CFS has conducted further investigation and the importer concerned confirmed that there was no processing of the concerned product in Hong Kong after it was imported, and the concerned product had also been distributed to other retailers."

The spokesman said that the CFS, for the sake of prudence, has banned the import and sale within Hong Kong of the kind of prepackaged smoked salmon immediately, regardless of batches. The Centre has also instructed the importer concerned to stop sale, remove from shelves, and initiate a recall of the product in question. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may call the importer's hotline at 3678 0822 / 3678 0210 during office hours.

"Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperatures. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns," the spokesman said.

He urged members of the public to stop consuming the above-mentioned product if they had purchased any.

The CFS has informed the British authorities concerned of the import ban. It will also alert the trade, continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. Investigation is ongoing.

Ends/Thursday, April 27, 2017