Food Surveillance Programme, Centre for Food Safety

Bottled preserved bean curd

Product name: 廖孖記衛生腐乳王(Not available in English)

Place of origin: Hong Kong

Net weight: 255 grams

Best-before date: August 7, 2025

Manufacturer: LIU MA KEE LIMITED

The CFS announced earlier that a sample of bottled preserved bean curd collected under its routine Food Surveillance Programme from a retail outlet in Sai Ying Pun was found to contain an excessive amount of Bacillus cereus. When following up on the incident, the CFS further collected the above-mentioned sample from a retail outlet in Yau Ma Tei on July 9 for testing. The test result showed that the sample contained Bacillus cereus at a level of 1 300 000 per gram. According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, if ready-to-eat food contains Bacillus cereus at a level of more than 100 000 per gram, it is considered unsatisfactory.

Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.

The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and has instructed the vendor to stop sales and to remove from shelves the affected batch of the product. The manufacturer concerned has initiated a recall of the affected batch of the product according to the CFS's instructions.  

The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.

The trade should stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess it.

Not to consume the affected product if they have bought any.

The CFS press release

Members of the public may call the hotline of the manufacturer at 2730 2968 during office hours for enquiries about the recall.