Bacteria in batch of Australian milk 1,000 times limit

Hong Kong health officials on Thursday warned against drinking a batch of slim milk imported from Australia after the amount of bacteria found in a sample vastly exceeded the legal limit.

The batch involved was the 1-litre version of Pura slim milk with an expiry date of May 26, 2013, a spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety said.

Tests on a sample from the batch showed the number of bacteria was more than 30 million per millilitre – 1,000 times the legal limit of 30,000 per millilitre.

“We think that it will be prudent for consumers who have bought the affected product to stop drinking it," the spokesman said.

Drinking the milk would not necessary lead to food poisoning, he said, but a bacterial count exceeding the legal limit normally indicated the milk was processed in unsatisfactory hygienic conditions.