Good eating: Assistant Director of Food & Environmental Hygiene Dr Thomas Chung says mooncakes, sushi and sashimi can cause illness if not properly prepared or handled.

Centre for Food Safety checks on mooncakes, sushi and sashimi have found no health dangers, the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department says.

About 100 samples of festive foods like mooncakes were collected for chemical and microbiological tests, and 500 samples of sushi and sashimi, which is popular in Hong Kong, were collected for microbiological tests.

Despite the satisfactory results, the department's Assistant Director Dr Thomas Chung said mooncakes, sushi and sashimi can cause illness if not properly prepared or handled.

He said 'snowy' and ice-cream mooncakes, in particular, which do not undergo a baking process at about 300 degrees Celsius, are required to be handled hygienically during processing, transportation and storage to avoid contamination and germ growth.

Sushi and sashimi, likewise, should be kept at the proper temperature.