CFS announces food safety report for February

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (March 31) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 7 600 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for 12 unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.8 per cent.

A CFS spokesman said about 2 000 food samples had been taken for chemical tests. Some 500 samples were collected for microbiological tests and the remaining
5 100 (including about 5 000 samples taken from food imported from Japan) were collected for testing of radiation levels.

The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests aimed at detecting pesticides, preservatives, metallic contamination, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.

The samples comprised about 2 200 samples of vegetables and fruits and their products; 300 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 1 000 samples of aquatic and related products; 200 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 400 samples of cereals, grains and their products; and 3 400 samples of other food commodities.

The 12 unsatisfactory samples included seven vegetable samples found with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits; two dried mushroom samples found with a metallic contaminant, cadmium, exceeding the legal limit; one fresh beef sample detected with a preservative, sulphur dioxide; one pre-packed sliced rice cake sample found to contain a non-permitted preservative, sorbic acid; and one pork floss cracker sample found to contain sorbic acid without declaring it on the product's food label.

The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples including informing the trade concerned of the test results, instructing the trade concerned to stop sale of the incriminated food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.

The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food is fit for consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risk.

Ends/Tuesday, March 31, 2015