Results of tests on eggs and fish

The Consultant (Community Medicine) (Risk Assessment and Communication) of the Centre for Food Safety (CFS), Dr Ho Yuk-yin, announced today (November 26) the latest test results for egg and freshwater fish samples.

Dr Ho said among the results for 22 egg samples (including hen eggs, duck eggs, thousand-year eggs and quail eggs) available today, no egg sample was found to contain Sudan dyes.

Turning to test results for 18 samples of different kinds of freshwater fish available today, Dr Ho said a trace amount of malachite green was present in a mud carp sample. Results for tests on other drug residues are pending.

"The mud carp sample was taken from the Cheung Sha Wan Wholesale Food Market and was found to be imported from a registered fish farm in Foshan supplying fish to Hong Kong.

"Concerning the 11 freshwater grouper samples detected earlier to have malachite green, trace amounts of antibiotics nitrofurans were found in four of them. A trace amount of nitrofurans was also found in the freshwater fish sample announced yesterday to contain malachite green.

"We are still tracing the source of the freshwater grouper samples. As for the freshwater fish sample and the mud carp sample, which came from a registered fish farm in Shunde and Foshan respectively, we have contacted the Mainland authorities and the two fish farms in question have stopped exporting freshwater fish to Hong Kong," he said.

Under the current arrangement, freshwater fish exported from the Mainland to Hong Kong must come from registered fish farms supplying fish to Hong Kong and are accompanied with health certificates.

"The arrangement has proved to be effective in the tracing of fish source. We have been able to find out quickly the source of the fish in question and inform immediately the Mainland authorities for any corresponding follow-up action," he said.

Dr Ho urged the trade to import freshwater fish from registered fish farms on the Mainland. He said the CFS would mark and seal those imported freshwater fish without health certificates.

Ends/Sunday, November 26, 2006