Metallic contaminant exceeds legal limit in three prepackaged dried lily bulb samples

Food name:

i)             頂級百合 (Not available in English)

ii)            百合 (Not available in English)

iii)           Dried lily

Brand:

i)             香港啟泰 (Not available in English)

ii)            樓上 (Not available in English)

iii)           T.L. STORES

Net weight:

i)             200 grams

ii)            303 grams

iii)           302 grams

Best-before date:

i)             December 01, 2024

ii)            September 15, 2024

iii)           June 28, 2024

Metallic contaminant: Cadmium
Detected level:

i)             After considering the factors for dried foods, the sample contained cadmium at a level of 0.53 parts per million.

ii)            After considering the factors for dried foods, the sample contained cadmium at a level of 0.80 parts per million.

iii)           After considering the factors for dried foods, the sample contained cadmium at a level of 0.58 parts per million.

Maximum level of metal:

0.05 parts per million

Sampling location:

i)             A supermarket in Tsuen Wan

ii)            A retail outlet in Tsing Yi

iii)           A supermarket in Causeway bay

Remarks:
  1. The Centre for Food Safety has instructed the vendors to stop selling the incriminated batches of the affected products.

  2. According to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap 132V), any person who sells food with metallic contamination above the legal limit may be prosecuted and is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.
  3. Based on the level of Cadmium detected in the samples, adverse health effects would not be caused under usual consumption.
  4. The Centre for Food Safety will inform the trade, continue to follow up on the unsatisfactory results, including tracing the source of the affected products and taking samples for testing.
  5. Investigation is ongoing.

END/ Wednesday, November 8, 2023