Of the 6,500 food samples tested in January by the Centre for Food Safety, seven were found to be unsatisfactory, marking an overall satisfactory rate of 99.9%.
According to the food safety report released today, two samples of frozen suckling pig were found to contain veterinary drug residues exceeding legal limits. One was found to contain chlortetracycline at a level of 0.35ppm while another was found to have oxytetracycline at a level of 0.54ppm. The legal limit for both is 0.1ppm.
The centre said the detected levels of chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline found were low. Normal consumption of food with the same level of the veterinary drugs is unlikely to pose adverse health effects.
One sample of bigeye fish was found to contain Ponceau 4R, a non-permitted colouring matter in fresh fish. Ponceau 4R is a permitted colouring matter in certain food but not in fresh fish. It is of low toxicity and is unlikely to pose any adverse effect on consumers.
Meanwhile, a sample of black crucian carp and another of freshwater grouper contained forbidden veterinary drug malachite green at levels of 0.16ppm and 0.18ppm.
One sample of flat noodles with beef flank and fish balls was found to contain the pathogen salmonella which can cause gastrointestinal problems.
One sample of rice noodles was found to have cadmium at a level of 0.24ppm, above the legal limit of 0.1ppm.
The centre said occasional consumption of food with the detected level of cadmium will not cause adverse health effects, but consumption on a long-term basis can affect the nervous system.
Follow-up action on the unsatisfactory samples has been taken by the centre, including asking the vendors to stop selling the affected food, taking follow-up samples and issuing warning letters.
