Coliform bacteria found on ice served in Café de Coral outlet

An ice sample from a Café de Coral restaurant was found to contain coliform bacteria exceeding the limit set out by the authorities, according to the Centre for Food Safety (CFS).

The Centre collected a sample of edible ice produced at a Café de Coral restaurant in Shek Tong Tsui for testing under its routine surveillance. A spokesperson for the CFS said, “The test result showed that the sample contained coliform bacteria at a level of 150 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.”

CFS has instructed the restaurant to suspend the sale of cold drinks and requested it to review and improve the food production process and carry out thorough cleaning and disinfection.

According to the Microbiological Guidelines for Food, the criteria for coliform bacteria for loose edible ice from retail outlets should be less than 100 colony-forming units per 100ml.

The spokesperson added that the coliform count of the sample exceeding the limit indicated poor hygiene practices during or after the production of ice but did not mean that consumption would lead to food poisoning.