Good to eat: Food Safety Centre Assistant Director Dr Constance Chan announces the latest food safety results.

The Centre for Food Safety tested 10,600 food samples in May and June, with an overall pass rate of 99.7%. Only 35 failed the tests.

The centre's Assistant Director Dr Constance Chan said food tested included vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, aquatic products, milk and frozen confections, and cereals and grains.

Six out of about 4,100 vegetable and fruit samples failed the test. Two Indian lettuce samples had trace amounts of methamidophos while a preserved garlic bulb had excessive sulphur dioxide, and a preserved rakkyo had benzoic acid exceeding the permitted level. A Tientsin cabbage and a Chinese wolfberry were found to contain excessive cadmium.

About 1,000 samples of meat and poultry were collected for microbiological and chemical tests. A fresh pork sample contained veterinary drug residues and a barbecued pork sample had non-permitted colouring matter Orange II.

About 600 fish samples were analysed for micro-organisms, chemicals and toxins. Apart from 11 unsatisfactory samples announced earlier, there were three other unsatisfactory results. A honeycomb grouper had ciguatoxin, a salted fish sample had histamine, and a scallop had paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin.

Micro-organisms

Apart from four unsatisfactory soft ice-cream samples announced earlier, a pasteurised milk sample was found to have coliform organisms exceeding the permitted level.

Of the 600 cereals and grains tested, a frozen bread sample was found with preservative propionic acid exceeding the permitted level.

About 1,600 snacks, dimsum, sushi, sashimi, condiments and sauces were tested. Apart from two unsatisfactory rice dumpling samples announced earlier, there were five other unsatisfactory results.

These include one brown sugar sample and a Chinese wolfberry fruit sample containing excessive preservative sulphur dioxide and a mushroom sauce sample with excessive preservative benzoic acid. One fried rice sample was found to have pathogen Bacillus cereus, and a cooked chicken claw sample was found with Salmonella.

No serious breach

"The samples detected with Salmonella and Bacillus cereus may cause gastrointestinal discomfort such as abdominal pain and diarrhoea," Dr Chan said.

"Concerning the current round of food sample results announced, the exceedances or breaches were not serious and would not pose immediate health risks.

"We observe that a number of unsatisfactory samples were related to the use of excessive or non-permitted food additives."

She urged the food trade to use only permitted food additives, and follow good manufacturing practice and comply with legal requirements.