Dalian City blames chicken feed for tainted eggs

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-10-29  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE government of Dalian City, Liaoning Province, said today fresh eggs found to contain the industrial chemical melamine in Hong Kong might have been subject to feed contamination at mainland poultry farms.

The government issued a statement saying that eggs found with the chemical by the Center for Food Safety (CFS) in Hong Kong over the weekend were produced on September 6 by Hanovo Foods Co. Ltd. in the city.

The tainted eggs, which had a best-by date of October 25, came from a Hanovo-owned farm that produced exclusively for the Hong Kong market.

Dalian government said it had acted immediately after the quality supervision, inspection and quarantine bureau of Liaoning Province informed it of the contamination on September 27.

It had ordered Hanovo, a private mainland firm, to recall all tainted eggs and suspended the company's exports.

Dalian quality supervision, inspection and quarantine bureau, in cooperation with other departments, had dispatched inspectors to farms owned by Hanovo and tested their eggs.

The bureau had also carried out sample tests of fresh eggs supplied to Dalian’s markets.

Altogether 72 batches of eggs had been inspected, but no further cases of contamination had been found, said the statement.

Officials at Hanovo, which had already recalled seven containers of eggs in Hong Kong and had another two containers sealed by October 5, could not be reached for comment.

Dalian authorities are continuing their investigation into the causes of the contamination.