Mainland vegetables tested

August 31, 2011

All Mainland vegetables are being tested in the wake of reports high levels of chromium have been found in vegetables from Yunnan.
 
Secretary for Food & Health Dr York Chow said today the Government has contacted Mainland authorities on the issue.
 
“They will investigate whether the farms that supply vegetables to Hong Kong are being affected by the incident. As far as the preliminary information goes, there may be two or three farms located in the area affected by the polluted drainage of the water. However, whether those farms are directly being irrigated by that source of water is still not fully known. We will be following up with that,” he said.
 
“We test all the vegetable samples from the Mainland and have tried to single out those coming from Yunnan in the last week or so. The result will come out in a few days.”
 
Meanwhile, Dr Chow said there is a potential risk of increased infection from scarlet fever and other infectious diseases, such as respiratory syncytial virus, and hand, foot and mouth disease in the new school year. He advised parents and students to maintain good personal and environmental hygiene.