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The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (August 22) that as the Irish authorities noted that mussels harvested from Roaringwater Bay, County Cork may be contaminated by diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins and are to be recalled, the CFS decided to prohibit imports into and sale within Hong Kong of the mussels harvested in the area with immediate effect. Traders who have the product concerned in their possession should immediately stop using and selling the product and should recall the product to safeguard public health and food safety. Members of the public should stop consumption.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS, through its routine Food Incident Surveillance System, learned that the Food Safety Authority of Ireland has noted that mussels harvested on August 17 and 18 from Roaringwater Bay, County Cork may contain DSP toxins and are to be recalled."
The CFS has informed the Irish authorities about the decision to ban importation of the mussels, requested them to investigate the incident and implement appropriate surveillance programmes and actions. The CFS will also alert the trade to the incident, and urge them to stop using and selling the product and recall the product.
DSP toxins is sometimes found in bi-valve shellfish. It is heat-stable and cannot be destroyed through cooking. People who consumed products containing DSP toxins will develop diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, chills and moderate to severe abdominal pain between 30 minutes and several hours. Usually, recovery is expected within a few days.
The spokesman urged consumers who had bought the affected product to immediately stop consumption. If they have bought similar food item recently, but are not sure about its place of origin, they should also refrain from eating it for the sake of prudence and check the product's origin with relevant retailers. The trade should also stop selling the product concerned. Members of the public should seek medical advice if they feel sick after eating the product concerned.
Some precautionary measures to avoid shellfish poisoning are as follows:
* Remove the viscera before cooking, avoid consuming the cooking sauce and eat a small amount of shellfish in one meal;
* Children, patients and the elderly may be susceptible to poisoning and should be cautious in consuming shellfish;
* When symptoms occur after consuming shellfish, seek medical advice immediately.
The CFS will continue to closely follow up on the incident and take appropriate actions, including enhanced surveillance of aquatic products imported from Ireland to safeguard food safety and public health. Investigation is still ongoing.
Ends/Saturday, August 22, 2015
Issued at HKT 22:51
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