US salmonella scare could affect 2 million eggs in Hong Kong as recall hits city
Preliminary investigations show at least 2 million eggs have been imported, but it is unclear how many have been consumed
Imports of poultry eggs from Rose Acre Farms in the United States have been suspended with immediate effect, as they might be contaminated with salmonella, Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety (CFS) said on Tuesday night.
It acted after the US Food and Drug Administration recalled more than 200 million eggs distributed from the supplier’s Hyde County farm in North Carolina, reportedly the largest recall of eggs in the country since 2010.
The eggs were sent to different states and over 20 cases of illness have been reported.
The CFS statement did not say how many potentially contaminated eggs were in Hong Kong, or where and under what brand they were sold in the city.
But its preliminary investigations found that five importers and retailers had already brought in about 6,000 cartons in different batches, which would add up to more than 2 million eggs, as each carton usually has 360.
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It stressed that salmonella could not survive under high temperatures and the bacteria would die if the eggs were thoroughly cooked.
