Food safety | HK investigates mooncakes red-flagged in Macau

Hong Kong health officials have launched an investigation after Macau’s food safety authority found samples of a carcinogenic substance in mooncakes sold by a Hong Kong bakery, Hang Heung Cake Shop, and a hotel in Macau (Pousada Marina Infante).
Mooncakes at the Pousada Marina Infante were prepared in the hotel’s “Fortune Palace” restaurant, which has now recalled some 90 boxes of the 131 that they had sold.
The chemical is thought to be harmful even in small quantities and is regarded as one of the most potent carcinogens known. Experts warn that consuming a large quantity of the substance in a short period of time may lead to acute poisoning.
A sample of the cakes from Hang Heung Cake Shop was red-flagged in Macau after it was found to contain almost 50 percent more aflatoxin B1 per kilogram than permitted by local food safety regulations.
Over the weekend, Under-Secretary for Food and Health, Sophia Chan said that Hong Kong health authorities are now testing the samples to determine whether they breach local regulations. She added that so far more than 170 samples have been tested and all have complied with food safety rules, but the recent findings in Macau were alarming.
Chan also promised that, if a food safety violation is detected, the public would be informed of the results immediately as it would present a risk to the population.
She did not specify whether the products have been pulled from the shelves pending the investigation.
The two territories employ different tolerance standards for aflatoxin B1, which is found in various foods such as peanuts, corn and other grains.
The presence of aflatoxin B1 from the Hang Heung bakery sample reached 7.48 micrograms per kilogram in testing, significantly exceeding the maximum amount stipulated by Macau regulations of 5 micrograms.
Meanwhile the tolerance level established by Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety is 15 micrograms per kilogram for all food other than peanuts and their derivative products.
According to numerous reports, Hang Heung Cake Shop have stressed that its mooncakes in its domestic market of Hong Kong, meet local food safety standards. The company adds that the product may have exceeded the tolerance level for Macau as some of its bakers were unaware that the two territories employ different regulations.
Several countries worldwide have regulations to limit the amount of the chemical that may be present in human and animal food. The United Nations’ World Health Organization also sets out guidelines for the maximum tolerance that it advises.