The number of food incidents possibly affecting Hong Kong increased in 2024, according to the Centre for Food Safety (CFS).
The Food Incident Surveillance System (FISS) monitors issues outside Hong Kong that potentially affect domestic food safety.
In 2024, CFS detected almost 5,300 incidents through FISS compared to 3,500 notices in 2023. The agency investigated the availability of implicated products locally by reviewing import records, coordinating with international authorities, and conducting checks with local traders.
If affected products were available domestically, CFS implemented risk management steps depending on a risk assessment and in compliance with local regulations. These measures included stopping sales of affected products, product recalls, import suspensions and enhancing surveillance of relevant products.
Impact of chemical and microbial hazards
CFS also uses the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) and the European Union’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) to manage food safety.
CFS issued 442 food incident posts, 20 press releases, 20 trade alerts, and 16 food alerts.
The majority of incidents relate to microbiological and chemical hazards, which account for 34 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Chemical hazards include the use of excessive food additives and toxins while examples of microbial hazards are Listeria, Salmonella, and Norovirus.
Physical hazards, such as plastic, glass or metal contamination, were behind 18 percent of reports followed by other issues such as incorrect date labeling, which was cited in 17 percent of cases.
One example is the bongkrekic acid outbreak in Taiwan. Bongkrekic acid is a toxin produced by the bacterium Burkholderia gladioli pathovar cocovenenans. The outbreak caused 33 illnesses and six deaths.
Checks at import and retail in Hong Kong did not find imports of the affected rice noodles. Enhanced surveillance results of local rice noodle products for bongkrekic acid were satisfactory.
CFS organized a forum on the safe handling of rice and noodles to prevent food poisoning, including bongkrekic acid, to raise awareness. The agency also inspected a local factory that produced rice noodle products. The overall hygiene condition of the site was compliant and there was a HACCP food safety system in place.
Data on food poisoning cases
In November 2024, CFS identified a notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that carrots were being recalled because of possible contamination with E. coli O121. The CFS contacted local importers and this revealed that a company had imported affected carrots into Hong Kong. The CFS told the importer to stop selling and remove these products from shelves and to initiate a recall.
Meanwhile, the three most common causes of food poisoning cases in 2024 were consuming raw food, food contamination by dirty utensils, and undercooked food.
Data revealed in response to a question in the Legislative Council showed 50 outbreaks involving food premises that sickened 220 people in the fourth quarter of 2024.
There were 22 outbreaks with 154 cases in the third quarter, 68 outbreaks with 181 cases in the second quarter and 52 outbreaks with 184 cases in the first quarter. Only one incident involved an unlicensed premises.
In 2024, there were 777 prosecutions against licensed food outlets and 3,337 prosecutions against unlicensed sites. Six companies had their food business license cancelled.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
