The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that during its regular testing of comestibles, its inspectors confirmed that “Choi Heong Yuen Bakery Macau’s” dried squid snack contains an excessive amount of preservatives.
The statement said that the importer of the snack is “Choi Heong Yuen Bakery Macau” but the batch was made in Thailand and was packaged in Hong Kong. The statement also noted that each kilogramme of the snack contains 2,760 milligrammes of preservatives, which exceeds Macau’s food safety regulation, with each pack containing 110 grammes of the snack. The statement underlined that the batch has a best-before date of July 15, 2022. The statement did not say how many milligrammes of preservative the snack would be allowed to contain in line with local food safety standards.
The bureau said that its Food Safety Department has already reported the case to its counterpart in Hong Kong to follow up. The bureau also urged residents not to consume the snack and has already told the shops concerned to remove the snack from their shelves. The statement said that the bureau would follow up on the matter in order to protect consumer’s safety.
The statement underlined that the preservative used in the snack is called sorbic acid, which is commonly used in food products, adding that in normal circumstances, consuming it would not affect one’s health. The bureau urged residents to have a well-balanced and diverse diet, and avoid consuming only one food product.
The undated photo provided by Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) on Friday shows the package of the dried squid snack found to contain excessive preservatives.
