The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said today (November 29) that it is actively following up on four food poisoning clusters involving lava cake, including inspecting the restaurant concerned. A sample of lava cake collected from the restaurant was found to contain a pathogen, Group D Salmonella. The CFS is following up on the case.

     "Upon notification by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health earlier, the CFS immediately sent staff to the restaurant concerned in Tsim Sha Tsui to conduct investigation and take food and environmental samples for testing. The test result showed the presence of Salmonella in 25 grams of the lava cake 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," a CFS spokesman said.

     The CFS has informed the restaurant concerned 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 it to review and improve the food production process and carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection. Prosecution will be instituted should there be sufficient evidence.

     According to section 54 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, imported or locally produced, 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 persons 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 Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) is today (November 29) investigating two probable cases of botulism after receiving injections of botulinum toxin locally, and again reminded the public that botulinum toxin injections should only be prescribed and performed by registered doctors.

     The two female patients, aged 42, received botulinum toxin injections in the same beauty premises in Jordan as that of another case the CHP announced on November 23.

     The two female patients have good past health. One of them received the injections on both sides of face on November 7 and has presented with rigidity around corner of the mouth, blurring of vision, slurring of speech, upper limb weakness and numbness, and shortness of breath since November 14. The other patient received the injections on both sides of face on November 10 and has presented with rigidity around corner of the mouth with chewing difficulty, blurring of vision, ptosis and palpitation since November 18. They attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital yesterday (November 28) and were admitted on the same day. They are in stable condition. The clinical diagnosis was suspected iatrogenic botulism.

     "Botulinum toxin injections should only be performed by a locally registered doctor. Customers should look for his or her full name against the list of registered medical practitioners of the Medical Council of Hong Kong as well as his or her professional qualifications and relevant experience," a spokesman for the DH said.

     Due to the weakening of associated muscles and the fact that botulinum toxin may spread and affect other areas beyond the injection site, affected patients may have drooping of the eyelids, double vision or blurred vision, problems with chewing, hoarseness or even difficulties in swallowing, speaking or breathing, which may happen hours, days or weeks after the injection.

     The DH urged the public to observe the health advice below before receiving botulinum toxin injections:
 

• Injections should only be performed by locally registered doctors;
• Understand the procedure, potential risks and complications before receiving injections. Consult a doctor for an informed decision;
• Do not receive an injection in the case of history of allergy to botulinum toxin, or infection or inflammation on the injection site;
• Request the full name of the doctor in writing if referred by a beauty service provider for the procedure, as well as the professional qualifications and relevant experience; and
• If symptoms develop, such as fever or feeling unwell, seek medical attention immediately.

     â€‹The public may visit the DH's webpage on the differentiation between medical procedures and beauty services, the Drug Database of the Drug Office and the CHP's botulism page for more information.​

     â€‹With the 2022 FIFA World Cup matches being held, Hong Kong Customs has maintained close co-operation with copyright owners and trademark owners, and has stepped up patrols and enforcement on all fronts, with a view to combating criminals taking the opportunity to conduct infringement activities related to the World Cup during the period.  

     Customs officers conducted cyber patrols through a big data analytics system to combat infringement activities involving circumventing paid TV channels. They also conducted spot checks and inspections in various districts to halt different types of infringement activities. As at today (November 29), more than 20 spot checks have been conducted by Customs in the market, including those jointly organised with copyright owners.

     The relevant patrol operations will continue. Customs reminds business operators not to take part in circumvention activities, since selling a circumvention device or providing a circumvention service is a serious crime. Also, members of the public should respect intellectual property rights and not buy any circumvention devices. Unknown websites connected with the circumvention devices might contain computer viruses or malware which can pose a risk to users.

     Customs also reminds traders or online sellers not to sell counterfeit goods and to be cautious and prudent with merchandising since selling counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions. Moreover, consumers should purchase goods at reputable shops or websites. To lower the risk of purchasing counterfeit goods, consumers should check with the trademark owners or authorised agents if they are in doubt.

     Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who, for the purpose of a circumvention business, or in the course of a circumvention business, sells or lets for hire a relevant device, or provides relevant service in order to allow circumventing an effective technological measure which has been applied in relation to a copyright work, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for four years.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports or sells or possesses for sale any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected infringement or counterfeiting activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

    

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 29) announced that a sample of prepackaged dried conch was detected with sulphur dioxide, a preservative, at a level exceeding the legal limit, and the functional class and the name of the additive were also not declared on the food label. 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.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: (Not available in English)
Brand: (Not available in English)
Net weight: 225 grams
Place of origin: United States
Distributor: (Not available in English)
Best-before date: December 20, 2023

     "The CFS collected the above-mentioned dried conch sample from a supermarket in Wong Tai Sin for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained sulphur dioxide at a level of 249 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the legal limit of 30 ppm. The functional class and name of the additive were also not declared on the food label," a CFS spokesman said.

     "The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sales and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product. According to the CFS's instructions, the vendor concerned has initiated a recall of the affected batch of the product. Members of the public may call its hotline at 2742 9811 during office hours for enquiries about the recall of the product concerned," the spokesman added.

     Sulphur dioxide is a commonly used as a preservative in a variety of foods including dried vegetables, dried fruits, pickled vegetables and salted fish products. Sulphur dioxide is water soluble, and most of it can be removed through washing and cooking. However, susceptible individuals who are allergic to this preservative may experience breathing difficulties, headaches and nausea after consumption.

     The spokesman reminded the food trade that the use of preservatives in food must comply with the Preservatives in Food Regulation (Cap. 132BD). Furthermore, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W) require that prepackaged food shall be legibly marked or labelled with a list of ingredients. The regulations also state that for all prepackaged food for sale in Hong Kong containing sulphite in a concentration of 10 parts per million or more, the functional class of the sulphite and its name shall be specified in the list of ingredients. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction.

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

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 0.00am today (November 29), a total of 2 788 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 are currently hospitalised for treatment, including 377 new patients. Currently, there are 288 patients requiring oxygen therapy and 18 patients requiring ventilator support. Among the patients staying in isolation facilities, 636 patients are in isolation wards, 222 patients are in second-tier isolation wards and 592 patients are in the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, of which 251 in total are new patients. There are 11 newly reported critical patients and 12 newly reported serious patients. There are a total of 52 patients in critical condition and 78 are in serious condition, of which 14 critical patients are receiving intensive care. Moreover, there are 297 patients who have recovered, including 256 patients who have been discharged. In addition, 13 patients who passed away in public hospitals were reported.
 
     In the fifth wave of the epidemic, there are 86 777 patients who have recovered so far, including 86 358 patients who have been discharged. And since early 2020, there are 99 157 patients who have recovered, including 98 738 patients who have been discharged.
 
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.