Metallic contaminant exceeds legal limit in prepacked dried agaricus mushroom sample
| Background: | The Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department received a notification from the Department of Food Safety of the Macao Municipal Affairs Bureau, that a batch of prepacked dried agaricus mushroom imported via Hong Kong was found to contain arsenic at a level of 0.582 mg/kg and cadmium at a level of 0.52 mg/kg after applying the conversion factor of dried food, not complying with the standard of Macao. The Centre for Food Safety therefore immediately contacted the local importer concerned for follow-up. According to the information provided by the importer, the affected batch of product was available for sale in Hong Kong. |
|---|---|
| Product name: | Imperial Banquet Dried Agaricus Mushroom |
| Brand: | Imperial Banquet |
| Place of origin: | Mainland China |
| Importer: | PARKnSHOP (HK) Limited |
| Net weight: | 125 grams |
| Best-before date: | August 20,2024 |
| Metallic contaminant: |
1. Arsenic |
| Detected level: |
1. 0.582 mg/kg (after applying the conversion factor of dried food) |
| Maximum permitted level: | 1. 0.5 mg/kg 2. 0.1 mg/kg |
| Source of information: | The Department of Food Safety of the Macao Municipal Affairs Bureau |
| Remarks: |
1) The Centre for Food Safety has instructed the importer to stop selling the incriminated batch of the affected product. 2) According to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap 132V), any person who sells food with metallic contamination above the legal limit may be prosecuted and is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months 3) Based on the level of arsenic and cadmium 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 incident and take appropriate action. Investigation is ongoing. |
END/Monday, January 16, 2023