- 1.
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 1994
FOOD SURVEILLANCE FIGURES FOR 1993 RELEASED
THE HYGIENE DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SAMPLES FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSIS LAST YEAR UNDER ITS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME.
FOOD
TOOK 27,214 REGULAR FOOD
THE PURPOSE IS TO ENSURE THAT FOOD SUPPLIED TO THE COMMUNITY IS
UNADULTERATED, UNCONTAMINATED, PROPERLY LABELLED
WHOLESOME, NUTRITIOUS QUALITY.
AND OF
EXAMINATION REPORTS
REVEALED
SATISFACTORY,
189 OR 0.69 PER WHILE
THAT 27,025 CENT
SAMPLES WERE AS UNSATISFACTORY WERE
COMPARED WITH 1.3 PER CENT IN 1992.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATION ALSO SHOWS THAT OUT OF THE SAMPLES TAKEN, 10,265 WERE SATISFACTORY WHILE 542 OR 5 PER CENT UNSATISFACTORY AS COMPARED WITH 5.3 PER CENT IN 1992.
10,807
WERE
MOST OF THE UNSATISFACTORY CASES INCLUDED HIGH BACTERIAL IN SHELLFISH, RAW FISH AND MEAT PRODUCTS.
COUNT
OF HEAVY OTHERS WERE MAINLY SEAFOOD CONTAINING HIGHER LEVEL
MATTERS, AND FOOD FOOD METAL,
NON-PERMITTED COLOURING CONTAINING CONTAINING NON-PERMITTED OR EXCESSIVE FOOD ADDITIVES.
AND MEAT
PRODUCTS
WERE
FOR MEAT CASES THE UNSATISFACTORY ATTRIBUTED MAINLY TO IMPROPER HANDLING AND STORAGE IN RETAIL OUTLETS.
THE DIVISION CARRIED OUT 207
WARNING LETTERS.
PROSECUTIONS
AND ISSUED 185
IT HAS ALSO MONITORED FOOD FOR RADIOACTIVITY SINCE 1986. HAS EXTENDED TO FOOD IMPORTED FROM CHINA SINCE LAST YEAR.
TOTAL
WERE SAMPLES 514 FOOD OF IN
A 1993, RADIOACTIVITY MEASUREMENT AND ALL RESULTS WERE SATISFACTORY.
ON THE LABELLING OF PRE-PACKAGED FOOD, THE
LETTERS WARNING 14.472 LABELS,
PROSECUTIONS.
254 ISSUED
THIS
TAKEN FOR
DIVISION CHECKED AND EXECUTED 41
KILOGRAMS
IN THE SAME PERIOD, THE DIVISION INSPECTED 6,868,995 OF IMPORTED MEAT AND 12,689,353 KILOGRAMS OF IMPORTED POULTRY IN 2,925 INSPECTIONS.
ABOUT
KILOGRAMS 811,100
OF FOOD
WERE
FOUND
UNFIT
FOR
CONSUMPTION AND WERE DESTROYED LAST YEAR.
A TOTAL OF 168 CASES OF FOOD POISONING WERE REPORTED DURING THE INVESTIGATIONS SHOWED THAT 105 WERE PERIOD WITH 862 PERSONS AFFECTED. DOMESTIC OUTBREAKS AND 63 FOOD-PREMISES OUTBREAKS.
BACTERIAL FOOD POISONING REMAINED THE MOST COMMON CAUSE ACCOUNTED FOR 34 PER CENT OF THE CASES.
WHICH
ΤΟ CONTAMINATED
THERE WERE 39 CASES OF FOOD POISONING OWING VEGETABLES AND 41 CASES OF SEAFOOD POISONING OF BIOTOXIN IN NATURE.
0
12