Material contamination has been confirmed as the cause of chemical contents detected in canned meat products made by a Shanghai food company.
On Dec. 6, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau ordered an export suspension of all food products, including canned meat, seafood, fruit and vegetables, made by Shanghai Maling Aquarius Co. Ltd.. The order came after the Hong Kong hygiene authority detected chemical contents in the company's canned meat on Dec. 3.
The Food and Environment Hygiene Department of Hong Kong said that low levels of nitrofurans metabolite had been found in a kind of low salt pork luncheon canned meat made by Maling.
The bureau carried out an investigation into the company's food processing. It found that about 3.2 tons of raw materials were bought in September last year from a company in another province that had been contaminated, a bureau spokesman said.
The company processed the tainted materials on Dec. 26 last year, said the spokesman, without indicating the cause of the contamination.
The company started recalling all products made from the tainted materials on Dec. 10.
The bureau spokesman said they would tighten surveillance on the company's processing procedures. He did not say when the export ban would be lifted.
Nitrofurans is a kind of drug derived from furan that is used to inhibit bacterial growth. Frequent ingestion of nitrofurans is poisonous and might even cause cancer or death.
Maling has won many domestic and international awards for its food products, including canned meat and sticky rice. More than 50percent of its products are sold in many countries in Asia and Europe.
Source: Xinhua
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