Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

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.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×