Shanghai-based food producer Maling Aquarius Co. Ltd. has recalled canned meat in which Hong Kong hygiene authority detected chemical contents.

Maling, a well-known food processor and listing company on the Shanghai Bourse, said in a statement on its website Friday that it takes this issue very seriously and "immediately took relevant measures, asking the Hong Kong sales agents to recall the affected products."

The statement also said Maling had sent an investigation team to Hong Kong to help investigate the causes of the tainted products.

The Food and Environment Hygiene Department of Hong Kong announced on Monday that low level of nitrofurans metabolite has been found in a kind of less sodium pork luncheon canned meat made by Maling. The amount detected is 0.0022 ppm, the department said on its official website.

Nitrofurans is a kind of drug derived from furan that are used to inhibit bacterial growth. Frequently taking nitrofurans is poisonous and might even cause cancer or death.

Maling has won many domestic and international awards for a number of its food products including canned meat and sticky rice. Its products sell well in many countries in Asia and Europe.

China has tightened control of pig slaughter to ensure food security. From Jan. 1 to mid November, the country clamped down on 6,396 illegal slaughter houses and confiscated more than 1.94 million kilograms of pork from illegally slaughtered pigs. It also destroyed 864,700 kg of pork from diseased pigs, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2007)