The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) is urging residents and businesses to stop consuming and selling a batch of bottled apple juice imported from New Zealand after it was found to contain excessive levels of patulin, a harmful toxin.
According to an IAM statement on Friday, the bureau was notified by Hong Kong’s food safety authorities that the product – “100% PURE NZ APPLE JUICE” under the brand “Homegrown” – had been found to exceed the officially permitted limits for patulin.
The affected product is in one-litre bottles with a best-before date of May 14, 2026, the statement said. Testing found that the sample contained 78 micrograms per kilogram of patulin, exceeding both Hong Kong standards and Macau’s Administrative Regulation No. 13/2016 on maximum levels of mycotoxins in food.
Patulin, a toxin commonly found in mouldy apples and related products, may cause nausea, gastrointestinal discomfort and vomiting if consumed in large amounts.
The bureau called on businesses stocking the product to immediately stop supplying and selling the affected batch, while consumers – including those who purchased it through online or parallel import channels – are advised to cease consumption at once. The bureau said it will continue to monitor the situation and take follow-up action to prevent the product from circulating in the local market.
According to the statement, businesses possessing the products should also immediately cease supplying and selling them, and contact the bureau’s Food Safety Department on 2833 8181, while continuing to monitor the situation to prevent the affected products from circulating in the market.
This image downloaded from Woolworths website yesterday shows its “100% PURE NZ APPLE JUICE”.
