A batch of Highway brand canned pork luncheon meat has been recalled after a fragment of a hypodermic needle was found in the product, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said in a Facebook post yesterday.

The batch of luncheon meat, produced on May 28 last year and expiring on May 27, 2017, has been removed from retailers' shelves.

AVA advised customers who bought the affected product to discard it at once.

Importer Hock Seng Food yesterday said the fragment could have come from a needle that broke when a pig was being vaccinated.

It said their raw materials go through metal detectors, and their supplier in France and processing and packing plant in China have been told to tighten checks or buy extra detectors. It offered a full refund to customers who bought the affected cans, and said other batches of the product are not affected.

Olivia Ho