Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Viral video of maggot-infested cherries hits Hong Kong fruit sales

Viral video of maggot-infested cherries hits Hong Kong fruit sales

Joanna Kwok takes on senior role in sector with poor record in employing women, despite it being in grip of worker shortages
The summer fruit season has returned to Hong Kong with cheaper but fewer cherries from the United States for a disturbing reason.

The US — primarily the northwest region, which is the biggest supplier of cherries in the city — saw farmers complaining about soured consumer confidence in the juicy produce after a viral video on social media showed maggots in the fruit.

A key Hong Kong importer of American cherries said on Wednesday (July 10) wholesale prices were broadly weaker this time than last year due to confidence issues even though the produce was about 30 per cent lower in volume and its quality fared better than that of the last season.

“It is a pity the video turned off some shoppers,” said Mr Leo Lai, the 27-year-old heir to a family-owned fruit import firm in Hong Kong.

“Retailers — such as supermarkets — and some wholesalers have hesitated to import more cherries this year, fearing the stock will be hard to sell.”

Mr Lai, whose family has been into the business in Hong Kong for the past 40 years, is travelling to Washington to source the fruit from the farms. Ironically, he found the demand for cherries on mainland China to be stronger than in Hong Kong, despite the US-China trade war.

“I have sold more cherries to Shanghai and Guangzhou than to Hong Kong so far this month, even with the 63.5 per cent tariffs and taxes,” he told the Post.

He added the Washington cherries he sourced for Hong Kong were less than half a container — a 20-feet equivalent unit — every day so far this month, while the cherries sourced for China were as many as two containers a day.

The video showing maggots moving inside cherries went viral on Facebook and was viewed about 41 million times. The shocking clip did not mention where the cherries came from nor when was it shot.

Northwest Cherry Growers, an industry group consisting of 2,500 growers in the northwest of the US, said it approached the person who posted the video for more information, but in vain.

“The video was posted in Montreal, Canada. But cherries can be grown in someone’s backyard. Harvest is [also] going on in Europe, China and Iran, and the video could have originated in any of those regions,” it said.

It added the US authorities had stringent food safety protocols in place and packaging facilities were equipped with optical scanners that could show even the interiors of fruit and keep damaged ones out of the finished box before putting them on market.

Hong Kong’s food safety watchdog said it had received only one complaint of maggot-infested cherries since 2017, which was still under investigation.

The Centre for Food Safety had tested 120 cherry samples between January 2017 and June 2019 and found the results satisfactory.

It said maggots were larvae of fruit flies, which laid eggs in citrus fruits such as cherries, oranges and figs.

Consumers should avoid buying bruised or rotten fruits, and should wash them thoroughly before consumption, it added.

Dr Lau Fei-lung of United Christian Hospital said live maggots were high in proteins and even if consumers mistakenly consumed them, they did not pose any significant health hazard.

“The gastric acid of a human being can kill some organisms,” he said.

In Hong Kong, the summer cherry season commonly starts in late May, peaks in July and finishes in August. The winter season will have supplies from the southern hemisphere.

Hong Kong government statistics showed the US and Turkey were the top exporters of the fruit to the city in summer, with imports from the US dropping 26 per cent to 79,491kg in May year on year and that from Turkey tumbling about 70 per cent to 30,293kg.

In the wet markets in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay, Washington cherries were being sold for around HK$70 (S$12.15) to HK$80 for two pounds, which was about 20 per cent lower than the same time last year.

A spokeswoman for AS Watson’s, which owns about 260 supermarkets in Hong Kong, including ParknShop said they conducted quality checks and tasting on cherries and other fruits before putting them on the shelves.

She said the supermarket chain normally sourced cherries from California, but the rainy spring had delayed the harvest a little. Therefore, it turned to Turkey in June for the fruit before returning to the American state later this month.

“We have not found any maggots in our stock so far,” she said.

Ms Angel Lee On-kee, co-owner of fruit retailer Joy Garden in Wan Chai, said sales were more or less the same compared with last year. The store sold Washington cherries at HK$40 per pound.

Mr Edward Chan, boss of retailer Market Choice at Yau Ma Tei fruit market, said a couple of customers had raised questions on food safety, but sales remained normal.

“This is probably because the quality is better this year and the prices cheaper,” he said.
A stay-at-home mother, who did not want to be identified, was found buying two pounds of American cherries for HK$70 from a fruit hawker in Causeway Bay on Wednesday. She said she was not too worried about the worms and always inspected fruit “one by one” before consuming them.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
×