The Centre for Food Safety today urged people not to consume a type of pre-packed shelled pistachio imported from Italy suspected to be contaminated with aflatoxins.
It has asked the trade to stop selling the product immediately.
The product is Pistacchio Crudo. Originating in Iran, it was packaged by LIFE S.r.l. in Sommariva Perno, Italy. The lot number is L101.14. They come in 1kg packs and the best-by date is May 30 next year.
The European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food & Feed reported aflatoxins were found in the product.
The Italian packer has initiated a recall of the product, however, it is not believed to have entered the local market yet, although a small amount has been imported to Hong Kong.
The World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified naturally occurring aflatoxins as carcinogenic.
The centre said it will monitor the situation.
