Bacteria limit exceeded in ice cream

5 May - Hong Kong: Four samples of ice cream from the same batch, imported from Belgium, were found to exceed the legal limit of bacteria, according to the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

Glacio's Tartufo Ice Cream was imported by Belgian Confectionery Co, it has a best before date of May 20, 2016 and comes in a 100ml pack.

CFS said the affected consignment was marked and sealed and did not enter the local market. The Centre has suspended the import of the ice cream in question and informed the Belgian authorities for follow-up.

A spokesman for the CFS said: "Test results showed that the total bacteria counts of the samples ranged from 52,000 to 71,000 per gram. Under the Frozen Confections Regulation (Cap 132 AC), each gram of frozen confection for sale should not contain more than 50,000 bacteria. ​

"The maximum penalty for offenders is a fine of $10,000 and three months' imprisonment upon conviction."​