CFS finds excessive aflatoxin in bottled pistachio paste sample
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (August 12) announced that a bottled pistachio paste sample was found to contain an excessive amount of aflatoxin. 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.
The Centre for Food Safety, Photo source: reference image
Product details are as follows:
Product name: 100% Pure Pistachio Butter
Brand: Naturalam
Place of origin: China
Net weight: 110 grams
Best-before date: April 16, 2027
Retailer: Sogo Fresh Mart
Distributor: Master Lam Foods Ltd
100% Pure Pistachio Butter of Naturalam, Photo source: online image
"The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a supermarket in Causeway Bay for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained aflatoxin at a level of 120 micrograms per kilogram," a spokesman for the CFS said.
Under the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap. 132AF), the maximum concentration for aflatoxin in any other food is 10 micrograms per kilogram.
The CFS has informed the retailer and distributor concerned of the irregularity. The retailer and distributor concerned have stopped sales, removed the affected batch of the product from shelves and initiated a recall. Members of the public may call the distributor's hotline at 2763 9596 during office hours for enquiries about the recall.
The World Health Organization (WHO)'s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified naturally occurring aflatoxins as carcinogenic to humans, and the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives advised that intake of aflatoxins should be reduced to levels as low as reasonably possible although no health-based guidance value has been set. Aflatoxins can lead to liver cancer after long-term ingestion, and the risk for hepatitis B carriers is relatively high.
The spokesman urged members of the public who had bought the affected product to stop consuming it. To avoid excessive intake of mycotoxins, people should maintain a balanced and varied diet to minimise the risk from a small range of food items, and to avoid consuming food that looks mouldy or damaged.
The CFS has alerted the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.
100% Pure Pistachio Butter of Naturalam, Photo source: online image
