The Centre for Food Safety

Prepackaged smoked salmon

*Updated on 28 April 2017

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 Centre for Food Safety (CFS) collected the smoked salmon sample from YATA Supermarket in Tai Po for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in 25 grams of the sample, exceeding the standard of the Microbiological Guidelines for Food which states that Listeria monocytogenes should not be detected in 25 grams of food.

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.

*Updated on 28 April 2017
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 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 CFS has informed the vendor of the test result and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product, and initiate a recall.

The CFS will inform the trade, continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action including tracing the source and distribution of the affected food item to safeguard food safety and public health.

*Updated on 28 April 2017
CFS has banned the import and sale within Hong Kong of the kind of prepackaged smoked salmon immediately, regardless of batches. The CFS has also instructed the importer concerned to stop sale, remove from shelves, and initiate a recall of the product in question.

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.

Stop using or selling the products concerned immediately.

Stop consuming the affected product.

The CFS press release (26 April 2017)
The CFS press release(27 April 2017)

*Updated on 28 April 2017
For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may call the importer's hotline at 3678 0822 / 3678 0210 during office hours.