Agricultural products in Hong Kong found mostly safe

In November 2009, Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety found 99.6% of the 4,700 food samples it tested safe.

About 3,000 samples were subjected to chemical tests while the rest received microbiological and other testing. The Hong Kong centre uses microbiological tests to check for pathogens and viruses and chemical tests to detect pesticides, preservatives, metallic contamination and colouring.

The foods tested included poultry, meat products, aquatic products, milk and dairy products.

Five hundred meat and poultry samples and 400 seafood products were tested without any problems detected.  Fish and shellfish were tested for micro-organisms, chemicals and bio-toxins.

Two import samples of pure ice cream from the same batch had bacterial counts at approximately double the legally allowed limit.  The product was turned back without being introduced to the market.

It was the only problem in the 900 dairy products subjected to tests during November.

In terms of trends, the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety's spokesman said excessive use of food preservatives, poor hygiene conditions during food processing, and not paying attention to cooking temperatures are among the main concerns.