March 13, 2006
Hong Kong suspends beef imports from US company
Hong Kong has suspended imports from a US beef processing company after discovering bones inside one of its products. Bones are prohibited under regulations aimed at protecting the territory against mad cow disease, the government said.
Imports from Swift Beef Co., based in Colorado, have been suspended, Hong Kong's Food and Environment Hygiene Department said in a statement late Saturday.
Hong Kong partially lifted a two-year ban on imports of US beef in December, allowing boneless beef from cattle less than 30 months old with the brain, spinal cord and other parts with high risks of mad cow disease removed.
The spokeswoman for the US Consulate General in Hong Kong, Susan N. Stevenson, said the bone shard found in the product was an isolated case and there was no risk of mad cow disease.