Food Standards Agency
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Listen to this siteWednesday 24 April 2002
Category D: For information only
Following routine sampling of food imported into Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency has been made aware of a problem associated with bacterial contamination of a batch of Po-Ku Pagoda Brand canned mushrooms. Although there is no indication of the product being spoiled, the nature of the bacteria found in unopened cans (eg Staphylococcus spp) and spore formers (eg Bacillus brevis) means that under-processing or post-processing contamination cannot be ruled out. The product details are as below.
Product: Po-Ku Canned Mushrooms
Brand Name: Pagoda Brand
Product of the People's Republic of China
Can Size: 284 grammes
Can Coding (on the lid):
L 7 1
011025
846
The FSA has been advised that the '011025' part of the code indicates the production date of 25/10/2001. The remainder of the code above this is the factory number, province and shift number, and below this is the product code.
Can coding (on the base): 3300/01007
Manufacturer: Jznhua Canned Food, Zhnhua, Hong Kong
Distribution: The cans were shipped on 23/11/01 from China direct to Belfast and the sole recipient in the UK was Asia Supermarket, 189 Ormeau Road, Belfast. Local investigation in Northern Ireland has determined that none of the implicated batch remains at the supermarket. Whilst a significant proportion of the product may have been consumed, because of the probable long shelf-life some product may remain in consumers' homes, or in food premises who purchased from the supermarket.
Additional Information: The risk of illness from consuming organoleptically acceptable product is considered to be very low. However, given the problems identified with this batch of the product and the probable long shelf-life, implicated cans should not be consumed. The Food Standards Agency (Northern Ireland) will be issuing a press release to publicise the issue for consumers there, and will co-ordinate action by Northern Ireland local authorities in ensuring any implicated product in food premises is withdrawn from sale and destroyed. The Asia Supermarket will be displaying point-of-sale notices and will be issuing a recall notice to all it's customers via it's van sales team.
Although distribution of the implicated batch is believed only to be to Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency is investigating whether any other batches of the same product have been distributed more widely and are similarly affected. The Food Standards Agency has no evidence to indicate this.
Local authorities will be advised when any further information becomes available. In the meantime, local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales are not requested to take any action.
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