The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (October 18) that a sample of frozen suckling pig imported from Vietnam was found with excessive chlortetracycline, a veterinary drug residue. A follow-up is in progress.

A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS collected the above-mentioned frozen suckling pig sample from an importer in Tsuen Wan for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that the sample contained chlortetracycline at a level of 350 parts per billion (ppb), exceeding the legal limit of 100 ppb."

The spokesman said that the CFS has informed the importer concerned of the irregularity and instructed the importer to stop selling the affected product. The CFS is also tracing the source and distribution of the product concerned.

"According to the detected level of the veterinary drug residue found in the suckling pig sample, normal consumption is unlikely to pose adverse health effects," the spokesman said.

The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.