Trappist Dairy recalls all milk products after new round of tests show excessive bacteria
Trappist Dairy has pulled all its milk products from supermarket shelves and convenience stores amid an ongoing bacteria scare.
Fresh tests by the government last night revealed tainted Trappist Dairy milk containing 260 times the safe legal limit for bacteria, which could potentially make those who drink it ill. The dairy producer recalled its entire product range.
Tests conducted by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) last week revealed a sample of fresh milk, collected for routine testing, had a total bacterial count of 260 million per ml, far exceeding the limit of 30,000 per ml for pasteurised milk.
The food standards watchdog urged members of the public not to consume the affected batch of the product. Retailers are also being urged to stop using or selling the product concerned immediately.
Doctors previously said people who consumed the affected milk were likely to develop stomach aches and start vomiting. In rare cases, people could become severely dehydrated, though the risk of death was low.
“The fact that total bacterial count exceeding the legal limit indicates unsatisfactory hygienic conditions, but does not mean it would lead to food poisoning,” the Centre for Food Safety said.
“Nevertheless, it will be prudent for consumers who have bought the affected product to refrain from drinking it. The trade should also stop selling the affected product,” the statement added.
In the latest test, a sample of Trappist Dairy Hi-Calcium Low Fat Milk Drink from a 7-Eleven convenience store in Mong Kok was tested.
According to the watchdog, the latest batch of milk was produced before the factory was sanitised following the first test which revealed that fresh milk contained 8,600 times the legal limit of bacteria.
Yuen Long-based Trappist Dairy said it had withdrawn all its milk as a precaution.
“All batches of milk have been withdrawn, so that there won’t be any milk [from Trappist Dairy] product on the market after the recall,” a spokesman said.
“Trappist Dairy will clean up and disinfect the plant first, and later resume production, but [it has] not decided when to resume.”
Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said he backed the existing testing regime at the Centre for Food Safety and the decision to recall unsafe products if needed.
