Another 141 firms linked to 'gutter oil' products named by Hong Kong watchdog

The Ajisen Ramen chain, the Yeh Lam Kwok group of restaurants and the graft-buster's staff canteen are among the latest establishment's caught up in a scandal over so-called gutter oil.

The Centre for Food Safety last night named a further 141 bakeries, restaurants and retailers which might have used or distributed lard and cooking oil made by Taiwanese edible oil supplier Chang Guann. An initial list on Sunday named 383 local traders which might have used edible oil products that contained industrial lard oil and so-called gutter oil - recycled from restaurants and leather processing.

The central kitchen of the Yeh Lam Kwok chain of Western-style restaurants in Tsuen Wan and its outlet in Tsz Wan Shan was named, along with Ajisen's head office in Yau Tong. The staff canteen on the ninth floor of the Independent Commission Against Corruption's head office in North Point, operated by Compass Group, was also named.

The Shanghai-style Xia Fei Society restaurant in Central and Xia Fei Dim Sum's three outlets in Tsim Sha Tsui, Stanley and Tseung Kwan O were also listed.

The list released on Sunday, which covered businesses from neighbourhood bakeries to the five-star Hyatt Regency hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, angered many traders. Some complained they had never used edible oils from Taiwan, let along from the company at the heart of the scandal.

Chang Guann boss Yeh Wen-hsiang was detained by Taiwanese prosecutors on Saturday for questioning. The next day, Hong Kong banned the import and sale of Chang Guann lard and cooking oil made after March 1.