Hong Kong health authorities have issued a food safety alert and suspended imports of a Japanese ice cream product after discovering coliform bacteria levels well above legal limits.
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The black tea-flavoured ice cream, branded as Kochi Ice and imported by Shin Tai Ho (Hong Kong) Company, was found to contain 140 coliform bacteria per gram, above the regulated threshold of 100.
The Centre for Food Safety disclosed the findings on Monday following routine testing at the import level under its Food Surveillance Programme.
The bacteria is from the same genus as E coli and can cause diarrhoea and other dysenteric symptoms.
The ice cream, packaged in 115ml portions with a best-before date of April 18, 2027, had already entered the local market before the warning.
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Authorities stressed that while the contamination did not necessarily cause food poisoning, it was a sign of unsatisfactory hygiene standards during production.