The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement yesterday that during its regular testing of comestibles its inspectors confirmed that a sample of a dried squid snack sold in bulk in Macau contains an excessive amount of preservatives.
The statement said that the sample of the snack was from “Tak Sang Pharmacy” on Rua dos Mercadores.
The statement also noted that each kilogramme of the snack was found to contain 51.3 milligrammes of preservatives, which exceeds Macau’s food safety regulation.
The statement said the snacks were imported from Hong Kong, and that the bureau’s 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 shop concerned to remove the product from their shelves.
The statement said that the bureau would follow up on the matter in order to protect consumers’ safety.
The statement underlined that the preservative used in the snack is called sorbic acid*, which is commonly used in food products, adding that under normal circumstances, consuming it would not affect one’s health. The bureau urged residents to have a well-balanced and diverse diet.
*Sorbic acid as a preservative, (and its salts, sodium sorbate, potassium sorbate, and calcium sorbate) is one of the most commonly used in foods. Some of its applications include wines, cheeses, fruit juices, meat and fish products, according to the Food Untold Website.
This handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows the dried octopus snack sold in bulk in Macau that was found to contain an excessive amount of preservatives.
