Diners were warned to be wary of cheap pork luncheon meat yesterday after a forgery syndicate was uncovered by Customs officers.
About 1,500 seized fake 'Ma Ling brand' cans could contain meat from diseased pigs mixed with internal organs, according to Assistant Superintendent Chan Yiu-wah of the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau.
He said the meat was probably made in an unhygienic and illegal plant in Sichuan.
It is the first time meat of this kind has been seized in the territory. Customs officers said the haul was worth more than $30,000.
It was seized from a godown in To Kwa Wan and two grocery stores in Sheung Wan and Kwai Chung in a two-day operation.
The 56-year-old owner of a trading company and two grocers were arrested. They were released on bail of between $1,000 and $5,000 each.