Hong Kong

  • Claire and Vikki vomit during Amazing Race food challenge

    Posted: November 28th, 2010 - 9:52pm by Doug Powell

    Amy likes the television show, The Amazing Race.

    I don’t, and play on my computer while sitting with her after Sorenne has gone to bed.

    I did look up this evening as a couple of contestants yakked while consuming vast amounts of Honk Kong food in an attempt to identify one of the five plastic food replicas on the buffet tray. Nice sound effects.

    Our marriage is solid.

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    Wacky and Weird  |  1 Comment
    Amazing Race, food safety, Hong Kong, Vomit
  • Blame the consumer, Hong Kong style

    Posted: July 20th, 2010 - 11:49am by Doug Powell

    Public reminded to prevent E. coli O157:H7 infection.

    That was the headline on a press release from Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection today.

    Consumers are important. So is everyone else in the farm-to-fork food safety system. But CHP chooses to focus on people as the critical control point:

    CHP today (July 20) reminded people to observe good personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent intestinal infection caused by E. coli O157:H7 bacteria.

    The appeal followed the confirmation by laboratory test of a local case involving a 13-month-old girl living in Yuen Long. This is the fourth case of E. coli O157:H7 infection reported to the CHP this year.

    A CHP spokesman said,

    "People are advised to cook meat thoroughly. The core temperature of food should reach 75 degrees Celsius (that’s 167 F, guess they like hockey pucks for burgers) for at least two to three minutes, until the cooked meat is brown throughout and the juices run clear.”

    Color is a lousy indicator. Use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer and stick it in. And next time, remind everyone else of their responsibility to reduce the loads of dangerous pathogens entering any kitchen rather than placing all the blame on consumers. There’s lots of blame to go around.
     

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    E. coli  |  0 Comments
    Blame, consumer, e. coli O157:H7, Hong Kong
  • Vibrio outbreak linked to Hong Kong restaurant sickens 75

    Posted: June 30th, 2010 - 1:57pm by Doug Powell

    The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Hong Kong Department of Health has received reports of 11 more people in food poisoning cases related to a restaurant in Jordan.

    As with the earlier clusters, they ate food from the restaurant on or before June 27.

    Stool specimens from six affected people in earlier clusters yielded positive result for Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

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    Other Microorganisms  |  0 Comments
    Hong Kong, Oysters, Raw, Vibrio
  • If your kid gets sick with E. coli O157, it’s your fault – Hong Kong edition

    Posted: March 27th, 2010 - 9:48am by Doug Powell

    A three-year-old girl living in North Point, Hong Kong, was diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7, the first case of the year, so the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health decided, without providing any details of the how the infection may have happened, that if people cook their food, they could avoid the bug. And they should wash their hands.

    That’s all good, but does little to address cross-contamination issues once the bacterium gets into a residence – if that’s where she contracted the bacterium – and once again sends the message that foodborne illness of the nastiest kind can simply be prevented by consumers.

    It’s a lot more complicated than that, and why everyone should be seeking to reduce pathogen loads from farm-to-fork.

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    E. coli  |  0 Comments
    child, Cross-contamination, e. coli O157, Hong Kong, ill
  • Cocaine found in Red Bull drinks

    Posted: June 4th, 2009 - 12:18pm by Casey Jacob

    Cases of Red Bull are being pulled from store shelves by officials in several countries due to the detection of cocaine in the products.

    Trace amounts of the drug (0.4 micrograms per liter) were detected in Red Bull Cola by German authorities two weeks ago.

    A few days later, Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said that the cocaine level was too low to pose a health risk. However, bans on the drink were initiated in several German states due to concerns that their sale may violate narcotics laws.

    When the Department of Health in Taiwan heard about the German’s discovery, they decided to test Red Bull Energy Drink—another product by the same manufacturer. They, too, found 0.4 micrograms of cocaine for each liter tested.

    A statement made by the folks at Red Bull two days ago said,

    "It would have been absolutely impossible for Asian (or any other) authorities to have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull Energy Drink. We believe that Asian authorities mistakenly applied concerns about Red Bull Simply Cola to Red Bull Energy Drink, a completely different product with an entirely different formula. Nevertheless, we had Red Bull Energy Drink product samples from Asia analyzed by an independent and accredited institute and confirmed that Red Bull Energy Drink does not contain any cocaine."

    The same day, officials at the Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong said a laboratory analysis found 0.1 and 0.3 micrograms of the illegal drug per liter in samples of Red Bull Sugar-free, as well as Red Bull Cola and Red Bull Energy Drink.

    Are they lying, too, Red Bull?

    The remainder of the statement by Red Bull said,

    "A German authority had raised concerns regarding the use of de-cocainized coca leaf extract in Red Bull Simply Cola. …

    "De-cocainized coca leaf extracts are used as flavoring in food products around the world and are considered to be safe. Indeed, in 21 C.FR. 182.20, the Food and Drug Administration regulations provide that it is acceptable and safe to use de-cocainized coca in food products in the United States    ."

    Each country—and each consumer for that matter—is entitled to determine the level of risk that is acceptable to them. Food producers should respect that, and provide the information needed to make those determinations.

    They should also provide sufficient data when calling anyone a liar. People who are already pulling products likely need more data than results of an undisclosed number of samples tested by a single, unnamed institute. Less arrogance is definitely in order.
     

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    Food Safety Policy, Wacky and Weird  |  0 Comments
    Cocaine, Energy Drink, Germany, Hong Kong, Narcotics, Red Bull, Risk Communication, Taiwan
  • Hong Kong chef attacks complaining customer with meat cleaver

    Posted: January 30th, 2009 - 9:25am by Doug Powell

    A chef in a Hong Kong noodle bar was facing a jail term Friday after admitting attacking a woman with a meat cleaver when she complained about his food.

    A 47-year-old woman grumbled about the meal she was served, so Cheng Chi-wai, 50, ran into the kitchen and came back with two meat cleavers, leaving the woman with a fractured skull and a 6-centimetre long wound that needed 11 stitches. The chef was restrained by other customers.

    At a hearing Thursday, Cheng -- who has been fired -- pleaded guilty to wounding with intent. He will be sentenced on February 18 after background and psychiatric reports are drawn up.
     

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    Food Safety Policy  |  1 Comment
    Attack, Complain, Customer, Hong Kong, Meat Cleaver