Hong Kong – Suspension of import and sale of raw oysters harvested in zone 56.09.3, Morbihan Department, France – Norovirus

Posted on February 25, 2019 by | Leave a comment

CFS Vibrio

Issue Date 23.2.2019
Source of Information Centre for Food Safety
Food Product Raw oysters
Product Name and Description Raw oysters harvested in zone 56.09.3, Morbihan Department, France
Reason For Issuing Alert
  • The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) of the European Commission that raw oysters harvested in abovementioned area in France which were suspected to be contaminated with norovirus was under recall. According to the information provided by RASFF, a local importer, Tasty Seafood and Fine Food Limited, had imported the raw oysters concerned.
  • The CFS immediately contacted the importer concerned for follow-up and the importer confirmed that it had imported the affected oysters.
  • Preliminary investigation by CFS found that 135 kilograms of the affected oysters were imported by the importer and some were distributed.
Action Taken by the Centre for Food Safety
  • For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately suspended the import into and sale within Hong Kong of raw oysters harvested in the area concerned.
  • The CFS has instructed the importer to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected product, and initiate a recall.
  • The CFS will inform the French authorities of the import suspension and notify the local trade.
  • The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health.
Advice to the Trade
  • Stop selling the affected product.
Advice to Consumers
  • Regardless of the season or the region in which the oysters are harvested, consuming oysters, particularly raw or partially cooked ones, carries an inherent food safety risk.
  • Susceptible groups, such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases, should avoid eating raw oysters.
  • Members of the public may call the importer’s hotline at 3590 4849 during office hours to enquire about the recall.
Further Information The CFS press release
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