CFS announces food safety report for September

​The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (October 29) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 5 000 food samples tested were satisfactory except for eight samples that were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was about 99.8 per cent.

 A CFS spokesman said about 900 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, and about 4 100 samples were taken for chemical and radiation level tests.

The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygiene indicators; the chemical tests included testing for pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others; and the radiation level tests included testing for radioactive caesium and iodine in samples collected from imported food from different regions.

The samples comprised about 2 100 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; about 300 samples of cereals, grains and their products; about 600 samples of meat and poultry and their products; about 500 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; about 500 samples of aquatic and related products; and about 1 000 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).

The eight unsatisfactory samples comprised a prepackaged frozen lobster sample detected with excessive sulphur dioxide and in breach of food labelling regulation; a fresh pork sample found to contain sulphur dioxide; a prepackaged bamboo fungi sample and a prepackaged shrimp noodles sample in breach of food labelling regulation; a grass carp sample found with malachite green; a frozen confections sample and a frozen yoghurt sample detected with coliform bacteria exceeding the legal limit; and a shrimp dumpling sample detected with a non-permitted preservative.

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

The spokesman reminded the food trade to ensure that food for sale is fit for human consumption and meets legal requirements. Consumers should patronise reliable shops when buying food and maintain a balanced diet to minimise food risks.
 
Ends/Friday, October 29, 2021