Advice issued on popular drinks

September 28, 2011

The Centre for Food Safety has urged the food trade to avoid over-production of food ingredients or prolonged storage of prepared and ready-to-eat ingredients at ambient temperature.
 
It issued the caution today, saying 198 samples of cold-served non-prepackaged beverages, mixed or topped with solid ingredients, passed microbiological tests. However, the hygiene standard of 15 samples needed improvement.
 
It said non-prepackaged beverages are growing in popularity in Hong Kong, with more shops selling the treats, which are mixed or topped with different solid ingredients like pearl tapioca, jelly, aloe vera, fruit and red beans. These drinks can have variable microbiological quality as the additional ingredients may be prepared in advance and processed manually.
 
To improve their hygiene standard, the centre has issued a set of health guidelines on non-prepackaged beverages to the trade.