The Centre for Food Safety today urged the public not to consume a type of raw cow's milk cheese imported from France possibly contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26:H11.
It has asked the trade to stop selling the product immediately.
The product is Saint Marcellin IPG. It is imported by Olivier Pacific. The lot number is 11733104. The best-by date is August 7 this year.
The European Commission's Rapid Alert System for Food & Feed reported the raw cow's milk cheese was believed to be contaminated.
The French manufacturer has initiated a recall of the product. A small amount was imported to Hong Kong last month.
Three other types of raw cow's milk cheese - Saint Felicien, Sechon de Vache and Tommes du Dauphine -may also be affected by the above-mentioned pathogen. The best-by dates are between August 4 and September 3 this year. However, these products are not known to have entered Hong Kong.
The centre said it will monitor the situation.
