All 315 hotpot food samples pass the food safety watchdog's quality check

The test results of 315 hotpot food samples collected under a food surveillance project were satisfactory, the city's food safety watchdog said on Monday. 

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department collected different kinds of hot pot food samples, including meat and seafood products, soup bases, beverages, sauces, and the like, from restaurants, fresh provision shops, supermarkets, grocery stores, market stalls, and retailers to test for coloring matters, preservatives, metallic contamination, and bacteria such as Salmonella. 

According to the CFS spokesperson, the test results of the samples were all satisfactory. 

The spokesperson reminded the public that food safety is a shared responsibility, recommending that food handlers and consumers choose wisely, keep clean, separate raw and cooked food, cook thoroughly, and store at a safe temperature when handling and storing food. 

A CFS spokesperson stated that Hong Kong people like eating hot pot meals, which have many additives such as coloring and preservatives that may be used when making hot pot ingredients, beverages, and sauces. The CFS conducted this project in a bid to provide timely food safety information to consumers and the trade.