The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) said in a statement on Friday that it was recently notified by Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety that a prepackaged “dried lily bulb” product was found to be affected by excessive cadmium contamination, urging the public to stop consuming it.
According to the statement, the problematic product, “Lily Bulb”, under the “HK JEBN Limited” brand, has a net weight of 303 grammes and the best-before-date of September 15, 2024.
The statement pointed out that the product was found to contain a cadmium content of 0.80 parts per million, exceeding the food safety standards of Macau’s maximum levels of heavy metals in food.
The bureau underlined that a food alert has been issued to urge the local retailers to remove the product from their shelves.
The statement said that cadmium is a heavy metal pollutant that could cause damage to kidney functions when consumed in excess.
However, the statement added that based on the amount of cadmium detected in the product, it poses a low risk of causing adverse health effects under normal consumption.
The statement stressed that the bureau would continue to follow up on the case and monitor the availability of the products in the local market.
This undated handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) on Friday shows a package of HK JEBN Limited’s “dried lily bulb”, which has been ordered by the bureau to be recalled from the market.
