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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 8) announced that a vegetarian spiced duck sample was found to contain an excessive amount of Bacillus cereus, a pathogen. The CFS has ordered the vendor concerned to stop selling the affected food.
"The sample was collected at a supermarket in Tung Chung, Lantau for testing under the CFS' routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained Bacillus cereus at a level of 1 million per gram. According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, it is potentially injurious to health or unfit for human consumption if a gram of ready-to-eat food contains more than 100 000 of Bacillus cereus," a CFS spokesman said.
00Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
00The spokesman said that the CFS had notified the vendor concerned of the unsatisfactory test result and instructed it to stop supplying the affected food immediately. The CFS has also provided health education on food safety and hygiene for the person-in-charge and staff of the vendor. Prosecution will be instituted should there be sufficient evidence. The CFS is also tracing the source of the food item in question.
00The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. Investigation is ongoing.
Ends/Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Issued at HKT 20:23
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