The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) urged the public yesterday to stop eating dried fructus pirums sold locally, as the fruit has been found to contain excessive amounts of preservatives.
Fructus pirum (“pear fruit”) is the Latin term for the fruit also known as snow pear in English.
According to a statement by the bureau, through IAM routine food sample testing, a type of snow pear sold in local dried seafood shops was found to contain excessive sulphur dioxide (SO2), which is used as a preservative.
The statement said that the sample of the fructus pirums was taken from U Seng dried seafood shop on Avenida do General Castelo Branco, adding that the product contained 1.66 grammes of SO2 per kilogramme, which exceeds the local standards in a regulation of the use of preservatives and antioxidants in food.
The statement noted that the problematic products were imported through the wholesaler San Tak Fung traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) trading company, and were supplied to a number of other Chinese pharmacies and dried seafood shops.
The bureau underlined that it has ordered the wholesaler to recall the problematic products, adding that it will continue to follow up on the case and pay close attention to see if the products are still circulating in the market.
According to the statement, SO2 acts as a preservative and a bleaching agent, which is widely used in food, such as dried aquatic products, compotes, and dried fruit and vegetables. SO2 is a type of preservative that can be soluble in water, which is hypotoxic, i.e., less than usually toxic.
The statement pointed out that although most of the SO2 can be removed from food by washing and cooking, it may still cause a health risk to asthmatic or hypoallergenic people, who could suffer from headache, vomiting or shortness of breath.
The bureau urged people who bought the product to stop eating it, adding that shoppers should pay close attention to the quality of the food, look for a natural colour and only purchase comestibles from reputable stores.
This undated handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) shows a bag of dried snow pear containing an excessive amount of sulphur dioxide (SO2).
