Tag Archives: Hong Kong

Shrimp sashimi sold in Hong Kong Thai restaurant contaminated with Salmonella

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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (August 28) that a sample of shrimp sashimi taken at a Thai restaurant was found to be contaminated with a pathogen, Salmonella. The CFS has ordered the restaurant concerned to stop selling the affected product, and to review and improve the food production process.

Shrimp-SushiA CFS spokesman said, “The CFS took a sample of the shrimp sashimi from a licensed general restaurant in Kowloon City for testing through its regular Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that Salmonella was found to be present in 25 grams of the sample, contravening the ‘Microbiological Guidelines for Food’ which state that Salmonella should not be detected in 25 grams of food.”

Why I never buy coffee; upscale Hong Kong Starbucks gets water from toilet tap?

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A Starbucks in the Bank of China Tower has been using water from a tap in a toilet to make beverages since its opening in October 2011.

USA Today reports that images from local newspaper Apple Daily showed the tap with a sign that said “Starbucks only” a few feet away from a urinal Toilet-Water-Coffee-in-Hong-Kong-Starbucks-Makes-Customers-Uneasyin the dingy washroom, which the paper said was in the building’s carpark.

“Starbucks, you need to make an open declaration that such crap is not repeated anywhere else, and fire the idiot who thought up such kind of water supply ‘solution,’ ” wrote one angry customer on Starbuck’s Hong Kong Facebook page.

In its response to the poster, the store apologized. “While the water used at that store was drinking water and certified as safe, we would like to clarify any misperceptions, as quality and safety have always been our top priority,” the store’s post said. “We are now using distilled water to serve that store while we work with all parties on acceptable options.”

Starbucks spokeswoman Wendy Pang told the AFP that the water was collected less than five times a day by staff from a tap in a toilet located near the store that was dedicated for collecting drinking water.

“There is no direct water supply to that particular store, that’s why we need to obtain the drinking water from the nearest source in the building,” Pang said.

The water from the toilet tap would go through a filtration system in the store ensuring it passed local and World Health Organization standards, Pang said.

Hong Kong University School of Public Health professor Benjamin Cowling told the AFP the worry is that pathogens from the restroom will end up in the Starbucks food preparation area.

“I wouldn’t go to the restaurant in the first place if I knew they were having potentially risky hygiene practices,” Cowling said.

Child sick with E. coli O157; Blame the consumer, Hong Kong edition

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A 1-year-old girl living in Wan Chai is the first case of E. coli O157:H7 infection reported to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the barfblog.Stick It InDepartment of Health this year.

She did not require hospitalization.

A CHP spokesman said E. coli O157:H7 could be contracted through consumption of undercooked contaminated food or contaminated water, or transmitted from person to person through the fecal-oral route.

“However, the bacteria can be killed at a cooking temperature of 75 degrees Celsius for two to three minutes. Members of the public are advised to cook food thoroughly to prevent infection. The core temperature of meat should reach 75 degrees Celsius for at least two to three minutes, until the cooked meat is brown throughout and the juices run clear.”

Use a thermometer, not color. In the absence of any information about how the girl was infected, eliminating other sources and sticking with the just-cook-it-and-be-clean message is simplistic at best, condescension at worse.

Confirmed case of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in Hong Kong woman

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A 75-year-old woman has tested positive for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC).

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health has confirmed that the patient had no recent travel history and her home contacts were asymptomatic.

Bacterial strains belonging to the STEC group have been sporadically detected in Hong Kong. The most recognized serogroup of STEC is E. coli O157:H7. Since June 2011, the CHP has expanded the criterion for notification to include all STECs, in addition to the classical E. coli O157:H7.

Claire and Vikki vomit during Amazing Race food challenge

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Amy likes the television show, The Amazing Race.

I don’t, and play on my computer while sitting with her after Sorenne has gone to bed.

I did look up this evening as a couple of contestants yakked while consuming vast amounts of Honk Kong food in an attempt to identify one of the five plastic food replicas on the buffet tray. Nice sound effects.

Our marriage is solid.

Blame the consumer, Hong Kong style

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Public reminded to prevent E. coli O157:H7 infection.

That was the headline on a press release from Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection today.

Consumers are important. So is everyone else in the farm-to-fork food safety system. But CHP chooses to focus on people as the critical control point:

CHP today (July 20) reminded people to observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent intestinal infection caused by E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

The appeal followed the confirmation by laboratory test of a local case involving a 13-month-old girl living in Yuen Long. This is the fourth case of E. coli O157:H7 infection reported to the CHP this year.

A CHP spokesman said,

"People are advised to cook meat thoroughly. The core temperature of food should reach 75 degrees Celsius (that’s 167 F, guess they like hockey pucks for burgers) for at least two to three minutes, until the cooked meat is brown throughout and the juices run clear.”

Color is a lousy indicator. Use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer and stick it in. And next time, remind everyone else of their responsibility to reduce the loads of dangerous pathogens entering any kitchen rather than placing all the blame on consumers. There’s lots of blame to go around.
 

Vibrio outbreak linked to Hong Kong restaurant sickens 75

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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Hong Kong Department of Health has received reports of 11 more people in food poisoning cases related to a restaurant in Jordan.

As with the earlier clusters, they ate food from the restaurant on or before June 27.

Stool specimens from six affected people in earlier clusters yielded positive result for Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

If your kid gets sick with E. coli O157, it’s your fault – Hong Kong edition

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A three-year-old girl living in North Point, Hong Kong, was diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7, the first case of the year, so the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health decided, without providing any details of the how the infection may have happened, that if people cook their food, they could avoid the bug. And they should wash their hands.

That’s all good, but does little to address cross-contamination issues once the bacterium gets into a residence – if that’s where she contracted the bacterium – and once again sends the message that foodborne illness of the nastiest kind can simply be prevented by consumers.

It’s a lot more complicated than that, and why everyone should be seeking to reduce pathogen loads from farm-to-fork.

Cocaine found in Red Bull drinks

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Cases of Red Bull are being pulled from store shelves by officials in several countries due to the detection of cocaine in the products.

Trace amounts of the drug (0.4 micrograms per liter) were detected in Red Bull Cola by German authorities two weeks ago.

A few days later, Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said that the cocaine level was too low to pose a health risk. However, bans on the drink were initiated in several German states due to concerns that their sale may violate narcotics laws.

When the Department of Health in Taiwan heard about the German’s discovery, they decided to test Red Bull Energy Drink—another product by the same manufacturer. They, too, found 0.4 micrograms of cocaine for each liter tested.

A statement made by the folks at Red Bull two days ago said,

"It would have been absolutely impossible for Asian (or any other) authorities to have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull Energy Drink. We believe that Asian authorities mistakenly applied concerns about Red Bull Simply Cola to Red Bull Energy Drink, a completely different product with an entirely different formula. Nevertheless, we had Red Bull Energy Drink product samples from Asia analyzed by an independent and accredited institute and confirmed that Red Bull Energy Drink does not contain any cocaine."

The same day, officials at the Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong said a laboratory analysis found 0.1 and 0.3 micrograms of the illegal drug per liter in samples of Red Bull Sugar-free, as well as Red Bull Cola and Red Bull Energy Drink.

Are they lying, too, Red Bull?

The remainder of the statement by Red Bull said,

"A German authority had raised concerns regarding the use of de-cocainized coca leaf extract in Red Bull Simply Cola. …

"De-cocainized coca leaf extracts are used as flavoring in food products around the world and are considered to be safe. Indeed, in 21 C.FR. 182.20, the Food and Drug Administration regulations provide that it is acceptable and safe to use de-cocainized coca in food products in the United States."

Each country—and each consumer for that matter—is entitled to determine the level of risk that is acceptable to them. Food producers should respect that, and provide the information needed to make those determinations.

They should also provide sufficient data when calling anyone a liar. People who are already pulling products likely need more data than results of an undisclosed number of samples tested by a single, unnamed institute. Less arrogance is definitely in order.
 

Hong Kong chef attacks complaining customer with meat cleaver

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A chef in a Hong Kong noodle bar was facing a jail term Friday after admitting attacking a woman with a meat cleaver when she complained about his food.

A 47-year-old woman grumbled about the meal she was served, so Cheng Chi-wai, 50, ran into the kitchen and came back with two meat cleavers, leaving the woman with a fractured skull and a 6-centimetre long wound that needed 11 stitches. The chef was restrained by other customers.

At a hearing Thursday, Cheng — who has been fired — pleaded guilty to wounding with intent. He will be sentenced on February 18 after background and psychiatric reports are drawn up.