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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (May 31) released the findings of its food safety report for last month. The results of about 10 500 food samples tested were found to be satisfactory except for eight unsatisfactory samples which were announced earlier. The overall satisfactory rate was 99.9 per cent.
A CFS spokesman said about 1 500 food samples were collected for microbiological tests, some 3 500 samples were taken for chemical tests and the remaining 5 500 (including about 5 100 taken from food imported from Japan) were collected to test radiation levels.
The microbiological tests covered pathogens and hygienic indicators, while the chemical tests aimed at detecting pesticides, preservatives, metallic contaminants, colouring matters, veterinary drug residues and others.
The samples comprised about 3 000 samples of vegetables and fruit and their products; 700 samples of meat and poultry and their products; 1 600 samples of aquatic and related products; 800 samples of milk, milk products and frozen confections; 700 samples of cereals, grains and their products; and 3 700 samples of other food commodities (including beverages, bakery products and snacks).
The eight unsatisfactory samples comprised two vegetable samples detected with pesticide residues exceeding the legal limits, two cold cut samples detected with Listeria monocytogenes, one fresh pork sample found with sulphur dioxide, one noodlefish sample found with formaldehyde, one soft ice-cream sample detected with a coliform count exceeding the legal limit, and one bottled tomato juice sample found with permitted sweetener not declared.
The CFS has taken follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples including informing the trade concerned of the test results, instructing the vendors concerned to stop selling the affected food items and tracing the sources of the food items in question.
Since the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap 132CM) came into effect on August 1, 2014, as of April 30 this year, the CFS had taken over 62 800 food samples at import, wholesale and retail levels for testing for pesticide residues. The overall unsatisfactory rate is less than 0.3 per cent.
The spokesman added that excessive pesticide residues in food may arise from the trade not observing Good Agricultural Practice, e.g. using excessive pesticides and/or not allowing sufficient time for pesticides to decompose before harvesting. The maximum residue limit (MRL) of pesticide residues in food is not a safety indicator. It is the maximum concentration of pesticide residues to be permitted in a food commodity under the Good Agricultural Practice when applying pesticides. In this connection, consumption of food with pesticide residues higher than the MRL will not necessarily lead to any adverse health effects.
Furthermore, Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperatures. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicaemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns. Therefore, those belonging to the high-risk groups, i.e. pregnant women, infants, the elderly, chronic disease patients and those with a weaker immune system, should avoid eating high-risk foods, for example refrigerated ready-to-eat foods such as soft cheese made from raw milk, cheesecake, cold cuts, sushi with raw ingredients, salads, sashimi and smoked seafood.
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 risks.
Ends/Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Issued at HKT 14:31
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