Fragrance & Joymom’s Mooncakes Recalled After Bacteria Detection
With the Mid-Autumn Festival happening tomorrow (29 Sep), Singaporeans have been purchasing mooncakes to share with their families or distribute as gifts.
Well, if you recently bought mooncakes from Fragrance or Joymom’s, you might want to take note.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is recalling two products from the brands after finding high levels of bacteria and toxins in them.
Source: Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Facebook
Those who have already gotten their hands on these particular mooncakes should refrain from consuming them.
They can also bring any enquiries they may have to their point of purchase.
SFA finds bacteria & toxins inside recalled mooncakes
On Wednesday (27 Sep), the SFA issued a media release announcing a recall for two mooncake products.
They are the Musang King Snowskin Mooncake from Joymom’s and the Single Yolk Lotus Paste Baked Mooncake from Fragrance.
Source: Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Facebook
According to the SFA, they detected levels of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in Joymom’s mooncakes and aflatoxins in the Fragrance mooncakes that exceed the maximum limits stipulated in Singapore’s Food Regulations.
Source: Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on Facebook
The bacterium S. aureus is a common cause of food poisoning. Individuals who are affected may experience the following symptoms:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach cramps
- Diarrhoea
The SFA added that foodborne pathogens like S. aureus could enter the production process when there is cross-contamination.
This happens when workers do not practise good hand hygiene.
Aflatoxins, on the other hand, can occur due to fungal contamination. They are genotoxic — meaning they can be damaging to DNA — and have the potential to cause cancer.
Thus, the SFA warned that “exposure through food should be kept as low as possible”.
Customers who purchased mooncakes should not consume them
SFA has taken precautionary measures by instructing the brands’ respective importers to recall the implicated products.
The recall is currently in progress.
Needless to say, customers who have purchased these products should avoid eating them.
Those who have and have concerns about their health should seek medical advice immediately.
Consumers may also contact their point of purchase for any further enquiries.
The SFA has prepared a page with more information on the safety of mooncakes, which you can read here.
Who knew that buying mooncakes could be such a risky affair? Just last week, a woman lost over S$76,000 after downloading a fraudulent app to order durian mooncakes.
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Featured image adapted from Fragrance & @soulshiok on Instagram, for illustration purposes only.
