The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement yesterday that a French-made “Bonne Maman Bitter Orange Marmalade” was possibly contaminated with mould, urging the public to stop eating the product.
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruit boiled with sugar and water, according to Wikipedia.
According to Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA), the statement noted, the problematic product consists of 30 ml of jam with a best-before date of 2024.10.31.
The statement underlined that the bureau has alerted the local food sector about the issue, while having dispatched its officials to inspect the retail market, where none of the problematic products has been found for sale.
The bureau also urged the retail food sector, which may have the product in stock, to take the initiative to remove it from their shelves while notifying the bureau for possible follow-up.
Excessive food addictive found in ‘Jumbo Raisins’: IAM
Meanwhile, a separate IAM statement yesterday said that as an excessive amount of sulphur dioxide (SO2) was found in US-made prepacked raisins, identified by its Chinese name as “三角嘜”, the bureau has ordered local retailers to stop selling the product, while also recalling it from the market.
According to the statement, considering that 3,180 mg of sulphur dioxide per kilogramme was found in its “Jumbo Raisins” product, with a net weight of 320 grammes and a best-before date of 2024.02.01, as well as a production date of 2023.02.01, the bureau urged the public to stop eating it.
The statement underlined that the amount of sulphur dioxide, which acts as a preservation and bleaching agent in candied and dried fruit, detected in the product poses low-risk adverse health effects to the general population. However, the bureau did not rule out the possibility of a health risk after long-term consumption of the problematic product.
Those who have asthma or allergies may develop symptoms of hyperventilation, headache, nausea and vomiting after intake of sulphur dioxide, the statement stressed.
These undated handout photos provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau yesterday show a prepacked “Jumbo Raisins” (left) and two jars of “Bonne Maman Bitter Orange Marmalade”.
