CFS announces food safety report for September
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (October 31) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 5,600 food samples tested were satisfactory except for 14 samples that were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was about 99.8 per cent.
A CFS spokesman said about 1,300 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 4,300 samples were taken for chemical and radiation level tests.
The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygiene indicators; the chemical tests included testing for pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others; and the radiation level tests included testing for radioactive caesium and iodine in samples collected from imported food from different regions.
The samples comprised about 2,100 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 400 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 500 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 1,000 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 600 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 1,000 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).
The 14 unsatisfactory food samples comprised a prepackaged beef salami sample, a prepackaged dried longan sample and a prepackaged preserved mustard sample in breach of the food labelling regulation; samples of noodle, seasoning pack and chili powder pack of a kind of prepackaged instant tossed noodle found with a pesticide, ethylene oxide; a Dungeness crab sample and a crab sample detected with metallic contaminants exceeding the legal limit; a grass carp sample and a catfish sample found with malachite green; a prepackaged red chili flake sample detected with non-permitted colouring matter, sudan dyes; a prepackaged breakfast cereal sample detected with antioxidant exceeding the legal limit; a raw milk sample found with coliform bacteria exceeding the legal limit; and a prepackaged margarine sample not in compliance with the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations.
The CFS has taken follow-up action on the above-mentioned unsatisfactory samples including informing the vendors concerned of the test results, instructing them to stop selling the affected food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.
The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food for sale is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.
Ends/Monday, October 31, 2022