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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 20) called on the public to stop consuming loose-pack boletoid mushrooms available at two retail outlets as mushrooms containing toxins were suspected to have mixed with edible species of mushrooms in the concerned food.
A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS is following up on a food poisoning case suspected to have been caused by consuming boletoid mushrooms, which was referred earlier by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health. The CFS deployed staff to conduct investigation at the concerned shop, Yue Hing Cheung at G/F, 161 Queen's Road West, Sheung Wan. According to the information provided by the shop, the batch of products solely for retail was purchased from another shop, Yiu Sing Trading Company at 219, Wing Lok Street, Sheung Wan in November and December last year. Follow-up investigation conducted on Yiu Sing Trading Company showed that the affected product was imported by the company from the Mainland in September last year for sale in the shop."
The spokesman further said, "Two samples of boletoid mushrooms were collected from each of the shops for testing. The test results did not show any mushroom toxins in the samples. But according to an assessment by a mycologist, the concerned samples were suspected to contain mushrooms with toxins and not fit for consumption. The CFS has instructed the concerned shops to stop sale of the affected product, dispose of the remaining stocks and initiate a recall of the product concerned. For enquiries, members of the public may call Yue Hing Cheung (Tel: 2548 0469 / 2858 6215) and Yiu Shing Trading Company (Tel: 2805 2017) during office hours."
The CFS also appealed to members of the public who had purchased boletoid mushrooms from the above retail outlets in the aforesaid period not to consume them and contact the vendors over recall. If symptoms develop after consuming the food, they should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Mushroom poisoning is generally acute and manifested by a variety of symptoms, depending on the species and amount consumed. The incubation period is usually short. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain are the commonest symptoms. Sometimes distinguishing features such as extreme thirst, profuse sweating, hallucination, coma and other neurological symptoms may occur.
Furthermore, consumers are advised to heed the following points when buying and eating fresh mushrooms:
* Do not buy mushroom products which are doubted to have carried mixing of unknown species;
* Do not buy mushrooms which look unhygienic (with growing substrates left with the product) or show signs of spoilage (with coloured spots/abnormal smell/slime, etc);
* Wash and cook mushrooms thoroughly before consumption; and
* Seek medical treatment immediately if mushroom poisoning is suspected.
The CFS will alert the relevant Mainland authorities to the incident, and continue to follow up and take necessary action to safeguard food safety and public health. Should there be sufficient evidence, prosecution will be instituted.
Ends/Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Issued at HKT 21:35
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