CFS Warns: Contaminated Frozen Shrimp Found, Public Urged Not to Consume

Nitrofuran metabolite found in prepackaged frozen shrimp sample

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (October 5) announced that a trace amount of metabolite (AOZ) of furazolidone (a type of nitrofurans), a non-permitted veterinary drug, was found in a sample of prepackaged frozen shrimp. 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 CFS is following up on the incident.

The Centre for Food Safety, Photo source: reference image

Product details are as follows:

Product name: (Not available in English)

Place of origin: China

Distributor: Linson Global Seafood Trading Limited

Weight: 200 grams

Best-before date: January 22, 2028

A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS collected the shrimp sample from a fresh provision shop in North Point for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained AOZ at a level of 6.1 parts per billion."

"The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product. According to the CFS's instructions, the distributor has initiated a recall of the affected batch of the product. Members of the public may call its hotline at 2573 7433 during office hours for enquiries about the recall of the product concerned," the spokesman added.

The CFS will alert the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing.

Photo for illustration only; not the food involved in the incident.

Employer sanctioned for violating requirements of local recruitment under Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme

The Labour Department (LD) today (October 6) announced the imposition of an administrative sanction on First Global Pacific Holdings Limited. With immediate effect, the LD has terminated the processing of the application for importing labour previously submitted by the company under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS). In parallel, the LD will, from today, refuse to process any applications submitted by the company under the ESLS for a period of two years.

"After an investigation, the LD established that the above company had breached the local recruitment requirements under the ESLS by imposing additional recruitment terms without the LD's approval and failing to employ a qualified job seeker without reasonable excuse, etc, while applying for the importation of general office clerks and painters. An administrative sanction is thus imposed," a spokesman for the LD said.

The spokesman stressed, "Employers applying for the importation of workers under the ESLS should strictly comply with the scheme requirements, including according priority to employing suitable local workers. The ESLS stipulates that if an employer violates labour or immigration laws, the requirements of the ESLS, or the Standard Employment Contract, the LD will impose an administrative sanction on the employer. Such sanctions may include terminating the processing of submitted applications of the employer, withdrawing approvals for the importation of workers previously granted, and refusing to process any subsequent applications submitted by the employer."

The Labour Department, Photo source: reference image