CFS announces food safety report for February

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (March 31) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 1,600 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for seven unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.6 per cent.

A CFS spokesman said about 600 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 1,000 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 300 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 200 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 200 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 400 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 200 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 300 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

The seven unsatisfactory samples comprised five frozen confection samples detected with coliform bacteria exceeding the legal limit, a sweet pepper sample found with pesticide residue exceeding the legal limit, and a prepackaged dried Chinese white cabbage sample with excessive metallic contaminant.

The CFS has taken follow-up actions 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 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/Friday, March 31, 2023