The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 29) announced that two prepackaged dried mushroom samples were detected with cadmium, a metallic contaminant, exceeding the legal limit. The CFS is following up on the cases.
Details of the products are as follows:
(1) Product name: Dried Mushroom
Product brand: Herbary Health
Place of origin: Japan
Packer: Herbary Health Food Co Ltd
Net weight: 500 grams per pack
Best before date: December 31, 2019
(2) Product name: Mushrooms
Product brand: Not available in English
Place of origin: Taiwan
Sole agent of Hong Kong and Macau: Chopsticks Company Ltd
Net weight: 70 grams per pack
Best before date: October 20, 2018
"The CFS collected the two dried mushroom samples from a supermarket in Admiralty and an online shop respectively for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. After applying the conversion factors for dried foods as recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the results showed that the samples contained cadmium at levels of 0.18 parts per million (ppm) and 0.162 ppm respectively, exceeding the legal limit of 0.1ppm," a CFS spokesman said.
"The CFS has informed the vendors concerned of the irregularities and instructed them to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batches of the products. The CFS is tracing the source of the affected products."
According to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap 132V), any person who sells food with metallic contamination above the legal limits is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.
"Based on the levels of cadmium detected in the samples, adverse health effects will not be caused under usual consumption," the spokesman said.
The CFS will alert the trade to the incidents, continue to follow up and take appropriate actions. Investigation is ongoing.
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