Hong Kong to recall meat from 21 Brazil meatpackers

Hong Kong authorities ordered the recall of all the meat and its byproducts from 21 Brazilian meatpackers involved in Operation Weak Flesh.

Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said the information provided by Brazilian authorities suggests that “the risk to food security may not be completely ruled out.”

According to Wing-man, experts from the Food Security Center identified another national factory that has imported products derived from Brazilian meat, in addition to the five previously detected.

The secretary did not specify what volume of Brazilian beef, pork, and chicken or their byproducts may be available for Hong Kong consumers and businesses today.

As for the shipments headed for Hong Kong before the Brazilian government itself barred the exports from the 21 companies probed, they are to be withheld at the port upon arrival until probes are concluded, the secretary said.

Wing-man also did not say how long the suspension is going to last, but guaranteed that the population will be informed regarding whatever occurs during the process.

Considered one of the biggest markets for Brazilian meat, Hong Kong had already banned the import of frozen and refrigerated Brazilian food on Tuesday (Mar. 21). On the occasion, Brazil's Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi himself referred to Hong Kong one of the buyers with the greatest focus from the Brazilian government. “China and Hong Kong are the two points we're looking at with greatest attention and in permanent , answering all the questions,” Maggi said. China, like Hong Kong, had already announced the temporary suspension of imports.

By Thursday evening (23), at least 14 countries, in addition to the EU, had temporarily and completely suspended the import of Brazilian meat and its byproducts after the investigators of Operation Weak Flesh, launched last Friday, mentioned alleged irregularities in the production and inspection of goods in the industry.

Eleven countries and territories suspended imports temporarily and completely: Algeria, the Bahamas, China, Chile, Egypt, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Qatar, and Trinidad and Tobago. Three countries suspended imports only from the 21 meatpackers probed by the Federal Police or some of them: South Africa, Japan, Switzerland.

The European Union has also opted for a partial suspension, barring the entry of products from four beef, pork, and poultry processing plants.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira