CFS announces risk assessment study results on microbiological quality of packaged rice balls
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 30) announced the results of a risk assessment study on the microbiological quality of packaged rice balls. All samples were compliant with the microbiological food safety criteria for pathogenic bacteria (i.e. Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus). The overall result was satisfactory.
A spokesman for the CFS said, "Rice balls in convenient packages can facilitate consumers to consume them on-the-go and has thus gained in popularity. The CFS conducted a study and collected 63 pairs of samples of packaged rice balls from four takeaway chains and five supermarket chains or convenience store chains in different regions of Hong Kong between February and March this year. The change in microbiological quality after leaving the samples concerned under ambient conditions for a period of time was assessed against the criteria stipulated in Microbiological Guidelines for Food."
The study results showed that the overall microbiological quality of the samples was satisfactory. Only one rice ball sample with braised salmon was detected to have an excessive level of E. coli, resulting in an unsatisfactory rating for hygienic quality, but there was no food safety concern. This indicated that there may be room for improvement in the food manufacturing and handling processes. The CFS has provided advice on the food preparatory process to the concerned manufacturer. A follow-up sample was taken, and the result was satisfactory.
Furthermore, regarding the change in microbiological quality of packaged rice balls after leaving the samples concerned under ambient conditions for a period of time, among the 58 samples to which the aerobic colony count (ACC) criterion was applicable, only one sample kept at ambient conditions after purchase for four hours was found to be borderline for ACC, while all the others were found to be satisfactory. However, three of these samples had an ACC more than 10 times higher than the control samples that were refrigerated at 4°C or below immediately after purchase. The ACC is an indicator of quality rather than safety and hence does not indicate a food safety concern. Nevertheless, the ACC can provide useful information about the general quality and remaining shelf life of the food.
The food trade should follow Good Hygiene Practices at all times and consider the advice below regarding the safe handling of packaged rice balls:
Food handlers should receive proper training to prepare rice balls properly and prevent contamination of rice balls;
The preparation areas for raw food should be separated from areas for handling ready-to-eat foodas far as possible to minimise potential cross-contamination;
The schedule or sequence of rice ball preparation should be planned to avoid leaving perishable/ready-to-eat ingredients under ambient conditions for too long;
In general, rice balls intended to be displayed for a prolonged period should be refrigerated after preparation;
Control measures for limiting microbial growth so that the rice balls canbe kept at temperatures above 4ºC for a certain period of time should be validated; and
Recommendations on storage conditions should be provided for the safe handling of rice balls by consumers.
Members of the public are also reminded to take heed of the following recommendations to ensure the food safety of packaged rice balls:
Consume rice balls as soon as possible after purchase;
For packaged rice balls, follow the storage instructions available on the packaging and consume them before the use-by date;
Refrigerate packaged rice balls at 4°C or below if they are not to be consumed immediately.
The study is available on the CFS's website at www.cfs.gov.hk.
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping
Following are the remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at a media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping on work on December 16:
Reporter: First, you mentioned that you reported the judgement of Jimmy Lai's case to the President. Did he touch on the case given that US President Donald Trump called on President Xi to release Lai? And secondly, did President Xi give any further instructions on social reforms regarding the Tai Po fire, and did he call for officials to be held accountable? Thank you.
Chief Executive: I reported to President Xi on what we have been doing to safeguard national security. I reported the conviction of Lai Chee-ying yesterday when the court convicted him on all three counts relating to endangering national security. I also reported to President Xi that we will continue to steadfastly uphold our duty of safeguarding national security, including the whole of the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), which means the Government, the Legislative Council, and also the Judiciary. All of us have a duty under the Hong Kong National Security Law to safeguard national security. President Xi heard about what we did, and he affirmed his strong recognition of our efforts in this regard, and he also confirmed his strong support for both the Government and the Judiciary to uphold the duty of safeguarding national security. This is a case which is very important in our whole efforts to protect national security, because it confirms that for people who try to make use of different excuses, positioning themselves deceitfully in different positions, whether in relation to being a media operator or otherwise, the law clearly targets acts of the defendants that contravene the national security law. Then, they are rightfully convicted by the court based on evidence and legal principles. President Xi encouraged us to continue our efforts in this regard, but I must also make use of this opportunity to condemn government officials or media organisations outside Hong Kong, who tried to mislead the public and ignore the strong reasons that were very clearly spelled out in the judgement concerning the crimes committed by Lai. Some organisations, particularly foreign media organisations, deliberately mislead the public and deliberately whitewash the criminal acts of Lai under the cloak of so-called "media tycoon". And these organisations' objective is to obscure Lai's shameless acts and subversive actions as an agent of external forces to infiltrate and brainwash young people, through manipulating the media to incite the public and betraying the interests of the country and the people.
As regards the Government's efforts in helping out affected families who suffered in the Tai Po fire, President Xi listened to what the Hong Kong Government has done and also what we are doing in helping the affected families, the relief that we have all been doing to help and support them. About the action to help them to recover as well as the action to help society as a whole to recover, he encouraged us to continue to work hard on that. He has mentioned that it has to be a consistent and continuous effort - this is exactly what I am doing together with my government team. I reported to him the establishment of the Independent Committee, which will fairly and justly look into two critical topics that relate to the cause of the wide-spread fire, and also the long-standing problem that troubles a lot of people in Hong Kong regarding large-scale building renovation work. I have told him these two topics are big topics that will involve a lot of work. I have mentioned the gratitude that I have for the Chairman and the two members to boldly undertake these two very important responsibilities. I have said that I have given nine months for the Independent Committee to complete its work, which is a pressing timetable because, unlike other previous setups, we are dealing with two main topics instead of one. This is actually asking the Independent Committee to do two major tasks almost in parallel; that will be very demanding. That is also why I reported that I have given this reserve power for the Independent Committee - on the one hand, they can really streamline procedures to increase efficiency so that they can finish the work as soon as possible, and at the same time ensure that they will have the power necessary if it is required at the time to address certain issues and areas. I have made it very clear to President Xi that the Committee's purpose is to find out the truth and also to look for accountability. I have repeated that many times before our friends of media, and I want to repeat it again. We'll ensure that no stone will be left unturned to probe the truth and find out the loopholes and those who are responsible, and then accountability will come in.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Remarks by CE at media session in Beijing after reporting to President Xi Jinping Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
