HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(4) MR. KENNETH T. C. Lo asked the following question (in English):-
Are there any By-laws or regulations limiting the period of time during which frozen or tinned food may be kept before being sold to the public? If the product in question is marked so as to indicate that it should be consumed before a certain date, is it lawful to sell such product for human consumption after such date? Is there any health hazard in eating date-expired frozen or tinned food?
MR. CHARLES C. C. SIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE FOOD HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in English):
Mr. Chairman, the question concerns the sale of food with expired consumption dates.
At present, there are no By-laws or Regulations limiting the period of time during which frozen or tinned food may be kept before being sold to the public.
If a product is marked with an expiry date, it is not against the law to sell the product for human consumption after that date provided the food is still found fit. There is no evidence of any significant health hazard in eating date-expired frozen or tinned food if it is still in good condition. However, food that has been kept longer than the expiry date marked on it must be treated with suspicion. Shopkeepers having date-expired food exposed for sale will be advised to withdraw it from sale and the food in question will be subject to inspection and laboratory examination.
(Mr. B. A. BERNACCHI left the meeting at this point.)
MR. Lo (in English):- Mr. Chairman, may I ask the Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee whether he would agree that by putting a date stamp on the food, the producer of the food is clearly indicating that, in their view, it would be unsafe to consume after that date.
(Dr. P. C. WONG left the meeting at this point.)
MR. SIN (in English):- Mr. Chairman, I am not an expert in refrigeration. But as far as my personal knowledge goes, if food is properly refrigerated (at the right temperature), it can be kept for an indefinite period.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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MR. LO (in English):- Does the Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee maintain that statement in spite of the fact that the manufacturers or the producers of the food clearly indicate otherwise?
MR. SIN (in English):- Mr. Chairman, in fact, we understand that the United Kingdom is considering the matter of food expiry date, and we are awaiting the result of their investigations. When the investigations are made known to us, then we will review our own position.
MR. Lo (in English):- I am somewhat reassured by that, but I would like to ask the Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee another supplementary. It concerns the last sentence of his reply where he states that when date-expired food is exposed for sale the shopkeepers would be asked to withdraw it from sale. Is that the practice at present or is going to be the practice in the future?
MR. SIN (in English):- It is the present practice of the department. In fact, inspectors pay regular visits once a month to fresh provision shops and, in fact, if Mr. Lo refers to Appendix V of our November report, the 4th line, he will read "regarding one complaint about frozen chicken being sold after expiry date on label, the shopkeeper on advice withdrew the food from the market."
MR. Lo (in English):- Mr. Chairman, supposing the shopkeeper does not withdraw the products in question from sale, what action is available to take?
MR. SIN (in English):- Then we have to take the food in question for inspection and laboratory examination to ascertain whether it is fit for human consumption.
MR. EDMUND CHOW (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, I want to ask this question. Although England is considering this problem, should we give a deadline to this? Is our Select Committee considering any action in the meantime whilst awaiting the decision from England, i.e. how to implement the law with regard to products which have been marked with an expiry date and which have exceeded that expiry date?
MR. SIN (in Cantonese):- Mr. Chairman, this means problems regarding products with expiry dates. This is a very complex problem. My own view is that we should wait for the experts in London to finish...