Excessive bacteria found in online cakes
Print Edition
CAKES sold online have been found to contain excessive bacteria and banned pigment, the city’s consumer rights watchdog said yesterday.
The Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission tested 39 cake samples bought randomly from 20 websites with prices ranging from 138 yuan (US$20.96) to 450 yuan. It found 10 cakes with excessive coliform bacteria or bacterial colony, some at dangerous levels.
A caramel cake bought on yiscake.com was found to have 2,400 MPN (most probable number) per 100 grams of coliform bacteria — eight times of China’s national limit of 300 MPN per 100 grams.
A cheese cake made by Shanghai Maiou Bakery and sold on www.shmaiou.com had the same amount of MPN.
The commission found a cake sold on www.tappal.com had bacterial colonies of 37,000 CFU (colony-forming units) per gram, compared to the national acceptable standard of 10,000 CFU per gram.
Poor hygiene conditions during production, failing to disinfect workers and containers, poor storage during delivery process could all lead to excessive bacteria, said Tang Jiansheng, deputy secretary-general of the commission.
The commission found that some cake selling websites use electrical bicycles, private cars or even taxis for delivery, without refrigerating it or using dry ice to maintain the temperature of cakes, posing hazards, Tang said.
Some colorful cakes sold online are nicknamed rainbow cakes while a cake sold on jingrencake.com and made by Shanghai Qingpu District Kaike Bakery was found to contain lemon-yellow, sunset yellow and allura red, all banned colors.
Another cake sold on sicimano.com did not name its producer and had the same pigments used in cake body.
In addition, six cakes which were said to be sugar free or boasted low fat were found to be just the opposite.
Only food products with less than 0.5 gram of carbohydrate per 100 grams can be called “sugar free,” and the term of “low fat” applies to food with less than three grams of fat per 100 grams, according to the national standard.
On the contrary, a pumpkin cake said to be sugar free sold on www.shanghai.wfboy.com and made by Shanghai Libiao Food Co Ltd actually contained 19 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams.
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