Fluffy, delicious and a food safety hazard: The Taiwanese sandwich craze that put 46 Hongkongers in hospital
They have been described as “addictive”, “fluffy” and “delicious” and they were taking Hong Kong by storm – until they put 46 people in hospital and were banned by the city’s food safety watchdog.
They have been described as “addictive”, “fluffy” and “delicious” and they were taking Hong Kong by storm – until they put 46 people in hospital and were banned by the city’s food safety watchdog.
In the past six months, the Horng Ryen Jen brand of sandwiches, originally created in Taiwan, went from sudden fame, praised by food bloggers and ordered in bulk online, to infamy.
The Centre for Health Protection said they discovered salmonella in some of the 46 people admitted to hospital in the past week after eating Horng Ryen Jen sandwiches they bought in Hong Kong or ordered online.
Over the past six months the sandwiches have become a popular Taiwanese souvenir for people in Hong Kong, all due to the apparently appealing taste – many sceptical bloggers and social media users said they did not understand why until they tasted the sandwiches.
Sold in two Honey Granny stores in Quarry Bay and Hung Hom, among other places, each sandwich came wrapped delicately in paper and plastic, with colourful writing indicating which of the six types you were getting – original, cheese, mix, wheat, strawberry or orange.
READ MORE: Why is a good sandwich so hard to find in Hong Kong?
A prominent Hong Kong food blogger praised the sandwiches in March, saying they had replaced classic pineapple cakes as the Taiwanese souvenir of choice.