The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in a statement yesterday that listeriosis has been detected in “siu mei” product samples of “char siu” and “black pepper roast goose”.
Siu mei (燒味) is the generic Cantonese name of meats roasted on spits over an open fire or in a large wood-burning rotisserie oven.
The statement said that through a routine food sampling, two samples of siu mei taken from Chan Kwong Kei restaurant on Estrada de Adolfo Loureiro (羅利老馬路) was found to contain Listeria monocytogenes at a level classified as “unsatisfactory.”
The bureau has ordered the eatery to cease selling the problematic products, rectify its production and handling processes, and thoroughly clean and disinfect all equipment and utensils, the statement said, adding that the sale of the product may only resume after passing a follow-up inspection and re-testing.
The statement also said that the person in charge has also been required to arrange for staff to attend the bureau’s “Food Hygiene Supervision Course” to strengthen their awareness of hygiene practices.
According to Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP), listeriosis is caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes which is commonly found in the natural environment. The bacteria may be found in some contaminated raw foods, such as vegetables and uncooked meats as well as unpasteurised milk.
A person with listeriosis usually comes down with fever, headache, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Some patients may develop severe complications such as meningoencephalitis or septicaemia. Pregnant women, newborns/infants, the elderly and persons with chronic diseases or weakened immunity are at higher risk of being infected. Although pregnant women with listeriosis are mostly asymptomatic or only develop mild symptoms, they may transmit the infection to their foetuses or newborns, resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth and septicaemia (blood poisoning) or meningitis in the newborns.
This undated handout provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday show one of the siu mei products found to contain listeriosis.
