The food scare over contaminated egg products from Germany has spilled over to Hong Kong.
From yesterday, eggs and other poultry products imported from Germany will be held for dioxin tests under emergency measures.
Retailers have also been asked to halt sales of German eggs, and consumers are advised against eating eggs or poultry products from the country for about a week, pending the results of tests.
The emergency measures have been taken despite assurances from the European Union that no contaminated egg or poultry products - except for consignments to Britain through the Netherlands - have been exported to other countries.
The problem stems from German farms where animals were given feed containing dioxin, a cancer-causing chemical. Hong Kong food safety officials have cited reports from the European Union that the dioxin levels found were so low it was unlikely short-term consumption would pose a health hazard.
Centre for Food Safety controller Dr Constance Chan Hon-yee said: 'The precautionary measures will be in place for a few weeks ... We shall hold and test all consignments of German eggs and poultry products.' The tests take about a week.
Food safety officers took seven egg samples from markets on Sunday. One sample was confirmed to have come from Germany, but the origins of the rest are still unknown.
