Regarding two suspected food poisoning clusters announced on 6 June, the Centre for Food Safety has conducted a preliminary investigation and has the following recommendations for food premises’ reference:

Food poisoning cases
  • The first cluster involved a male and a female, aged 3 and
    34.
  • The other cluster involved a male and a female, both aged
    51.
Location of alleged food premises Sheung Wan
Suspected incriminated food item BBQ pork and egg fried rice
Suspected contributing factors
  • Food contaminated with Salmonella.
Advice
  • Store and handle raw food and ready-to-eat food separately to avoid cross-contamination.

  • Avoid using cracked eggs in preparing dishes.

  • Prepare egg dishes on a per-order basis and avoid leaving them under room temperature for a prolonged period of time.

  • Pre-cooked ingredients that will be used later should be
    stored at either above 60°C or 4°C or below.

  • Thoroughly cook egg dishes until the core temperatures
    reach 75°C or above.

  • Use pasteurised eggs for food without heat treatment or
    with lightly cooked eggs.

  • Pay special attention if pooled eggs (liquid eggs made by combining a number of cracked, raw eggs in a container) are used:

    • Store pooled liquid eggs in the refrigerator and only take out the amount as needed.
    • Use all pooled liquid egg on the day of pooling and avoid topping up by new eggs.
    • Be careful not to spill raw eggs on other food, surfaces or utensils.
    • Pooled liquid eggs should not be used to prepare raw or uncooked egg-containing dishes.
  • Indicate the presence of raw or undercooked foods/ingredients in ready-to-eat items to help consumers make informed choices by providing a consumer advisory on labels or placards stating, for instance, “Consuming raw or undercooked foods may cause illness, especially for pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immunity.”

Centre for Food Safety
7/6/2022