Hong Kong authorities have warned retailers to stop selling one brand of Thai coconut milk, while others are being tested.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said tests of a batch of prepackaged coconut drink, Koh Coconut branded coconut milk, produced in Thailand, showed the drink contained an undeclared food allergen, milk protein.
“Consumers who are allergic to milk are advised to refrain from consuming the product. The trade should also stop selling it immediately,” the two authorities said in a statement.
The product is imported by Bloomway Group (Far East) Ltd.
“Upon learning through its routine Food Incident Surveillance System that several kinds of coconut drinks containing undeclared dairy ingredients had been recalled in Australia and New Zealand, the CFS has taken similar kinds of products from the local market for testing,” the authorities said.
“Results showed that a sample of the product taken from a supermarket in Causeway Bay was found to contain milk protein, but its presence was not declared in the list of ingredients on the product’s food label. The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularities and instructed it to stop the sale and recall the affected batch of product.
“The centre will also follow up on the distribution of the product with the importer concerned and inform the trade to stop selling the product,” a CFS spokesman said.
“People who are allergic to milk may have immunologic response like vomiting, diarrhoea and rash upon consumption of food containing this allergen. In severe cases, anaphylactic shock may even develop. As for other members of the public, generally speaking, they would not be subject to such reactions when the food in question is consumed,” the spokesman said.
The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W) require that all prepackaged food for sale in Hong Kong should list out the food ingredients in its list of ingredients. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $50,000 and six months’ imprisonment.