Salmonella Found in Pig Ear Sample; Restaurant Investigated by Food Safety Centre

CFS finds Salmonella in sample of pig ear

​The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 23) that a sample of pig ear was found to contain Salmonella, a pathogen. The CFS is following up on the incident.

A spokesman for the CFS said, "Following up on a related food incident, the CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a restaurant in Tai Po for testing. The test result showed the presence of Salmonella in 25 grams of the sample, exceeding the criterion of the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, which states that Salmonella should not be detected in 25g of a ready-to-eat food sample."

"The CFS has instantly sent staff to the restaurant for conducting an investigation. The restaurant concerned has also been informed of the irregularity. The restaurant has already stopped selling and discarded the affected product according to the CFS's advice. The CFS has also provided health education on food safety and hygiene to the person-in-charge and staff of the restaurant, and requested that it improve its food preparation process and carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection. Should there be sufficient evidence, prosecution will be instituted," the spokesman said.

According to section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

"Salmonella infection may cause fever and gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The effects on infants, young children, the elderly and people with a weak immune system could be more severe and may even lead to death," the spokesman said.

​The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. The investigation is ongoing.

Property owner fined over $60,000 for not complying with removal order

An owner was convicted and fined $66,040 in total, of which $56,040 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts last Friday (January 9) for failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).

The case involved unauthorised building works (UBWs) with an area of about 45 square metres on the roof of a village house on a lot in D.D.130, Tuen Mun. Since the Lands Department would not issue a certificate of exemption for the UBWs and the UBWs were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO. Failure to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD.

A spokesman for the BD said today (January 13), "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who fail to comply with removal orders, including instigation of prosecution, to ensure building and public safety."

Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.