The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 18) announced that the sodium content of a bottled oyster sauce sample was found to be inconsistent with the declared content on its nutrition label. The CFS urged the trade to stop selling the affected batch of the product immediately.
      
     Product details are as follows:
      
Product name: Organic Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce
Brand: Sauceco
Place of origin: Taiwan
Manufacturer: Sauceco Food Co Ltd
Distributor: Chopsticks Company Limited
Volume: 420 millilitres
Best-before date: October 20, 2019
      
     A spokesman for the CFS said, "Subsequent to announcing earlier that the sodium content of a bottled oyster sauce sample taken from a department store in Tsuen Wan was found to be inconsistent with the declared value on its nutrition label, the CFS detected a similar irregularity in another bottled oyster sauce sample of the same kind but of a different batch taken from the same department store for testing during follow-up investigations. The test result showed that there was a discrepancy between the actual sodium content (3 600mg per 100ml) and the declared content (204mg per 10ml, i.e. 2 040mg per 100ml) on its nutrition label.
      
     "The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity. The vendor concerned has stopped sale and removed from shelves all batches of the product concerned according to CFS' advice. Should there be sufficient evidence, prosecution will be instituted."
      
     According to Section 61 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132), if any person falsely describes food or misleads as to the nature, substance or quality of the food on a label of the food sold by him or her, he or she shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction.
      
     The CFS will inform the trade, continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action.

Ends/Monday, December 18, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:48

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