Prepackaged Bamboo Shoot Tender

The Centre for Food Safety CFS of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today October 6 that a sample of prepackaged bamboo shoot was found to contain sulphur dioxide a preservative which is allowed to be used in certain foods but the functional class and the name of the additive were not declared on the food label Members of the public should not consume the affected batch of the product The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it

Product details are as follows

Product name Baby Bamboo Shoots
Brand Unionsum Food
Net weight 250 grams
Place of origin China
Sole distributor Unionsum Food Company
Retailer HKTV Mall
Bestbefore date August 2 2027

The CFS collected the abovementioned sample from an online shop for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide Although the sulphur dioxide level detected is within the legal limit the functional class and the name of the additive were not declared on the food label of the sample a spokesman for the CFS said

The CFS has informed the sole distributor and the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed them to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product According to the CFSs instructions the sole distributor concerned has initiated a recall of the affected batch of the product Members of the public may call its hotline at 6275 2510 during office hours for enquiries about the recall of the product concerned the spokesman added

Sulphur dioxide is a commonly used preservative in a variety of foods including dried vegetables dried fruits pickled vegetables and salted fish products This preservative is water soluble most of it can be removed through washing and cooking However susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties headaches and nausea after consumption

The spokesman reminded the food trade that the use of preservatives in food must comply with the Preservatives in Food Regulation Cap 132BD Furthermore the Food and Drugs Composition and Labelling Regulations Cap 132W require that for all prepackaged food for sale in Hong Kong containing sulphite in a concentration of 10 parts per million or more the functional class of the sulphite and its name shall be specified in the list of ingredients Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of 50000 and six months imprisonment upon conviction

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