BANGKOK: Thailand is ready to halt imports of prepacked salad products from Australia if salmonella bacteria is detected by Thai food safety officials. The Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in an official statement seen by AAP, said the FDA ordered all food and drug checkpoints to monitor the import of salad products into the country.
Praphon Angtrakool, FDA deputy secretary general, said investigations had found two consignments of pre-packed salad mix from Victorian-based Tripod Farmers, had been imported into Thailand. Praphon said the importer had sold all the concerned products and had issued a recall.
On Tuesday, Australian Assistant Secretary of Plant Export Operations, Chris Parker, told a Senate estimates hearing that Thailand had been one of three countries that may have imported products from the farm linked to the salmonella outbreak.
In Victoria more than 50 people had been diagnosed with a rare strain of the bacteria after eating pre-packed salads sourced from Tripod Farmers. Dr Parker said he was only aware of the three affected countries, including Thailand, heightening food safety inspection.
Thailand’s Praphon said monitoring was continuing, and if imported products were found not to be in compliance with the standard or might pose a health risk to consumers, they would not be allowed to be imported and would be recalled from the market.
