An ice cream sample from a local brand was discovered to have an increased level of coliform bacteria which caused it to be recalled from sales.
The Center for Food Safety issued a statement that a chocolate ice cream from a brand Fruttato Gelato, which is 60ml in size and has a best before date of July 2, 2016, was found to have a total of 260 counts of coliform per gram, going beyond the legal limit which is 100.
The center recently received a report from the mainland's State General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine following its routine food quality surveillance system saying that the coliform counts of Fruttato ice cream imported from Hong Kong went beyond its standard limit.
Safety authorities from Hong Kong later gathered samples from the ice cream's production plant in Kwai Chung for examination, and found an alarming increase in the coliform count. This kind of bacteria is commonly known to be found in large amount in the feces of warm blooded animals.
The center's spokesperson said that the excessive amount of coliform found in the ice cream only meant that the product did not meet hygienic standards as well. However, they clarified that ingesting the ice cream with a high level of coliform will not lead to food poisoning.
Pay and Pay Ice Cream International Company Ltd, the product manufacturer has been asked to pull all of its products out of the market and to suspend all production of the said product. It was even advised to do a review of the manufacturing process and do an intense cleaning at the production plant.
Under the Frozen Confections Regulation, the maximum penalty for having a product with excessive levels of coliform is a fine of HK$10,000 and three months' imprisonment. According to Tim Lo, the manager of Fruttato Gelato, the set of ice cream in question was only sold in China. The public was furious upon hearing this statement saying that it was a very inconsiderate statement and they understood it as the only reason this may be considered okay is because it was only sold in China and no where else.
