Antioxidant exceeds legal limit in prepackaged breakfast cereals sample

Food name: Shredded Wheat Big Biscuit Cereal
Brand: POST
Net weight: 425 grams
Place of origin: Canada
Best before date: February 22, 2023
Antioxidant: Butylated hydroxytoluene
Detected level: 500 parts per million
Maximum permitted level: 100 parts per million
Sampling location: A supermarket in Tsim Sha Tsui
Remarks:
  1. The Centre for Food Safety has instructed the vendors to stop selling the incriminated batch of the affected product.

  2. According to the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap 132BD), any person who sells food with preservative above the legal limit may be prosecuted and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction.

  3. Based on the level of butylated hydroxytoluene detected in the sample, adverse health effects would not be caused under usual consumption.

  4. The Centre for Food Safety will inform the trade, continue to follow up on the unsatisfactory result, including tracing the source of the food in question and taking sample for testing.  

  5. Investigation is ongoing.

END/ Thursday, September 22, 2022