Four Seasons Durians’ mini D24 mooncakes recalled over excessive bacteria levels

Recall of all batches of Four Seasons Durians’ mini D24 mooncakes as a precautionary measure: SFA

Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has ordered a recall of a popular brand of mooncakes just five days before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The mini D24 durian mooncakes manufactured by Four Seasons Durians were found to have excessive levels of bacteria.

B. cereus found during sampling of Four Seasons Durians’ mini D24 durian mooncake

In a media release on Thursday (12 Sept), SFA said it had conducted a “regulatory sampling of mooncakes” at an unspecified date.

During the sampling, Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) was found in Four Seasons Durians’ mini D24 durian mooncake.

The levels detected exceeded the maximum limits stipulated in Singapore’s Food Regulations.

Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting may arise due to bacterium

B. cereus is a bacterium that’s a common cause of food poisoning.

It’s normally found in the environment and the intestinal tracts of insects and mammals, SFA added.

Affected individuals may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea.

Recall affects all batches of mini D24 mooncakes

SFA thus directed Four Seasons Durians to recall all batches of the implicated products as a precautionary measure.

According to a Facebook post by Takashimaya Department Store, which sold Four Seasons’ mooncakes as part of its Mid-Autumn Festive Celebration, a set of eight mini D24 mooncakes cost S$81.

The recall is ongoing, SFA said.

Consumers advised not to consume product

SFA also advised consumers who had purchased the product not to consume them.

They were instructed to contact their point of purchase for enquiries.

If they have already consumed them, they should seek medical advice if they have concerns over their health.

Four Seasons Durians apologises for recall

On Thursday (12 Sept) night, Four Seasons posted a notice on its Instagram Story saying that it deeply regretted any concern or inconvenience caused to customers and sincerely apologised for the situation.

The company is taking “immediate action to resolve the issue” and appreciates customers’ understanding and patience as it works to do so, it added.

To get a refund, customers should bring the product to its NEX or Century Square outlets or Mid-Autumn Festival booths at Takashimaya or VivoCity with the receipt by Saturday (14 Sept).

Four Seasons is “working diligently” to identify the root cause of the issue and is implementing additional safety measures to avoid a repeat, it also said, adding:

Please rest assured that we are taking all necessary steps to prevent this from occurring again.

Also read: SFA Recalls Fragrance & Joymom’s Mooncakes After Detecting High Levels Of Toxins & Bacteria Inside

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Featured image adapted from Singapore Food Agency and Takashimaya Department Store on Facebook.