The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (September 25) urged the public not to consume a kind of prepackaged cheese sauce imported from the Netherlands due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. The trade should stop using or selling the affected batches of the product immediately if they possess it.
 
     Product details are as follows:
 
Product name: DIP NACHO CHEESE STYLE
Brand: Santa Maria
Place of origin: The Netherlands
Net weight: 250 grams
Batch code: 2329019 and 2329231
Best-before date: June 7, 2025 and June 20, 2025
Importer: Pear & Carrot Limited
 
     "The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission that the above-mentioned batches of product might have been contaminated with Bacillus cereus and are being recalled. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS immediately contacted the concerned local importer for follow-up. A preliminary investigation found that the above-mentioned importer had imported into Hong Kong and ordered the affected batches of the product concerned," a spokesman for the CFS said.

     The importer concerned has stopped sales, has removed the imported affected product from shelves and has initiated a recall according to the instructions of the CFS. Enquiries about the recall can be made to the importer's hotline at 3616 0248 during office hours. The CFS will also mark and seal the product ordered by the importer upon its arrival to Hong Kong and ensure that the product will not enter the local market.

     "Bacillus 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 or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea," the spokesman said.

     The spokesman urged consumers not to consume the affected product if they have bought any. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess it.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing.

Ends/Monday, September 25, 2023
Issued at HKT 21:48

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