The excessive levels of E. coli bacteria found in some of the mooncakes manufactured by Malaysian confectioner Baker’s Cottage may have been down to mishandling by a third-party warehouse, the bakery’s operator said on Sept 15.
Baker’s Cottage’s snowskin yam-filled mooncakes were discovered to have bacteria levels that exceeded food safety limits, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said on Sept 13, less than a week before the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated on Sept 17 in Singapore.
The halal-certified Baker’s Cottage Group, which has more than 150 outlets across Malaysia, said it ensured compliance with SFA standards before exporting its products to Singapore, but the mooncakes were mishandled during transit and storage at an unnamed third-party warehouse, which led to “product deterioration”.
The mooncakes were imported by Ewayz, according to the SFA.
Baker’s Cottage added that it prioritises the quality and safety of its products, and will work to avoid similar incidents happening again.
The Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can damage the intestines and cause symptoms such as severe diarrhoea and vomiting, according to the SFA.
Severe cases involving vulnerable groups like the immuno-compromised may also lead to fatal kidney failure.
SFA had directed Ewayz to recall the affected Baker’s Cottage mooncakes which expire on Dec 31, 2024.
The snowskin yam mooncakes from Baker’s Cottage were the second batch of traditional Chinese pastries to be declared unfit for consumption during the Mid-Autumn season, after SFA similarly recalled Four Seasons Durian’s mini D24 mooncakes.
The durian-flavoured mooncakes were found to have excessively high levels of another type of bacteria, bacillus cereus, and the company offered refunds to consumers who had purchased the product.
While Baker’s Cottage does not have an official bricks-and-mortar outlet in Singapore, its products, including the mooncakes as well as an assortment of bread, pastries and cakes, are available on online platforms such as Shopee.
The confectioner has also set up stall at numerous mooncake fairs in shopping malls in Singapore, where its seasonal mooncakes in other flavours remain available for sale.
Excessive bacteria in mooncakes linked to third-party warehouse’s ‘mishandling’: Baker’s Cottage
