The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (December 22) that a hairy crab sample imported from the Mainland was found to contain dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at a level exceeding the action level adopted by the CFS. The concerned batch of hairy crabs has not entered the market.
      
     A CFS spokesman said,"The sample concerned was found to contain dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs at a level of 80.48 picograms (pg) toxic equivalent per gram (TEQ/g), exceeding the action level adopted by the CFS (i.e. no more than 6.5 pg TEQ/g of the food sample) (wet weight). As advised by CFS, the importer concerned has not distributed the hairy crabs to the market for sale and will not do so until there are satisfactory results. Therefore, the affected batch of hairy crabs has not entered the market and has been marked and sealed by the CFS.
      
     "The sample in question was claimed to have originated from an aquaculture farm in Hunan. However, when comparing the concerned sample against a sample claimed to be from the same aquaculture farm which had passed the test earlier, the CFS found that the levels and composition of dioxins in the two samples were dissimilar. Based on the above analysis result, the CFS preliminarily suspected that the concerned batch of hairy crabs from which the unsatisfactory sample was collected had not originated from the aquaculture farm in Hunan. The CFS has immediately informed the relevant Mainland authorities and conducted a follow-up investigation to further study the case and take appropriate action.  For the sake of prudence, with effect from today, the CFS will hold every batch of hairy crabs imported from the Mainland for testing and they will only be released to the market for sale upon satisfactory test results."
      
     The CFS has adopted a risk-based approach, collecting hairy crab samples for testing (including testing for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs) at the import and retail levels to check if the products comply with local legal requirements and are fit for consumption. As of December 21, except for the unsatisfactory hairy crab sample from Taiwan announced in October and the sample announced today, 224 hairy crab samples, including 29 samples tested for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, had passed the tests.
      
     According to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.
      
     The spokesman added that dioxins are a group of chemical compounds found naturally in the environment which are persistent environmental pollutants and highly toxic. They can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and can cause cancer. In general, some foods may contain dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. However, the concentrations will not cause acute adverse effects. As regards chronic health effects, the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives has established a Provisional Tolerable Monthly Intake (PTMI) of 70 pg/kg of body weight per month for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs. Occasional short-term exposure above the PTMI would have no health consequences provided that the average intake over a long period is not exceeded.
      
     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. Investigation is ongoing.

Ends/Friday, December 22, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:55

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