Century-old shop shuts down after bacteria finding 'ruins reputation'

Eunice Lam

The century-old Liu Ma Kee shop famous for selling fermented bean curd has shut down after the Centre for Food Safety found excessive bacteria in its products.

The owners said the allegations have shattered the shop's hard-earned reputation, causing immense pressure on the older members of the family.

The owners will hold a press conference on Monday to explain more.

Both Liu Ma Kee branches in Yau Ma Tei and Sai Ying Pun shuttered yesterday, with handwritten notices saying "closed" and "closed for business" seen on social media.

Fourth-generation owner Jay Liu Fong-yip said the decision was made by the seniors of the family, who felt very stressed and upset, adding he has laid off the staff.

"We do not agree with how [CFS] did the test," Liu said. "We will clarify this later."

Earlier this month, CFS said a sample of jarred fermented bean curd - known as "fuyu"- from Liu Ma Kee's Sai Ying Pun shop was found to contain an excessive amount of Bacillus cereus.

The center said in a separate statement on Tuesday that it had collected another sample of fermented bean curd at the Yau Ma Tei shop for testing.

The newer sample, it said, contained Bacillus cereus at a level of 130,000 per gram - 13 times the 10,000 per gram threshold for safe consumption.

"Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal illnesses such as vomiting and diarrhea," CFS said.

It said the public has been advised to avoid the affected products and Liu Ma Kee has initiated a recall.

A man surnamed Wong slammed the shop for evading responsibility and said: "My relative bought a lot of Liu Ma Kee bean curd but now I hear it has food-safety problems. I intend to return it for a refund."

But one long-time customer felt sad about its closure.

"Even the name states it is fermented, which means it has been stored a long time. It should have been assessed individually [in terms of food-safety standards]," he said.

Liu Ma Kee was featured in a Hong Kong Tourism Board trip for Southeast Asian tourism representatives in December 2022 to boost travel to the city.

It was founded in 1905 and has been supplying fermented bean curd to several famous restaurants, such as the one-star Michelin restaurant Fook Lam Moon in Wan Chai.

Liu Ma Kee's page was removed from the board's website as of yesterday afternoon.

A Food and Environmental Hygiene Department spokesman last night said when CFS inspected Liu Ma Kee's factory on July 4 it found some ingredients were not stored properly and the hygiene conditions in the packaging area were unsatisfactory.

CFS immediately requested the factory to review and improve its manufacturing processes and to conduct a complete cleanup and sanitation operation, he said.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com