FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1977
NEW FOOD SAFETY RULES
****
IN ORDER TO FOLLOW ACCEPTED PRACTICE IN OVERSEAS COUNTRIES NOTABLY IN BRITAIN, THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA NEW LIMITS HAVE BEEN SET IN HONG KONG FOR THE MAXIMUM PERMITTED LEVELS OF ARSENIC CONTENT IN FISH AND SHELL FISH AND THE MERCURY CONTENT IN FOOD GENERALLY.
THE NEW LIMITS CONSTITUTE, IN EFFECT, A SLIGHT RELAXATION ON THE ONES IN FORCE UP TO NOW BUT ARE WELL WITHIN INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS OF SAFETY. AT THE SAME TIME THE PENALTY FOR EXCEEDING THE LIMITS HAS BEEN STIFFENED.
THE CHANGES ARE LAID DOWN IN AMENDMENTS TO THE FOOD ADULTERATION (METALLIC CONTAMINATION) REGULATIONS UNDER THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND URBAN SERVICES ORDINANCE. THE AMENDMENTS ARE PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TODAY STRESSED THAT THE CHANGES IMPLY NO LESSENING AT ALL IN SAFETY STANDARDS. BUT REPRESENT A FAIRER AND MORE REALISTIC REQUIREMENT FOR THE HONG KONG FOOD TRADE. HE WENT ON TO OUTLINE THE CHANGES AS FOLLOWS:
ARSENIC CONTENT IN FISH AND SHELLFISH
FOR FISH THE NEW MAXIMUM LEVEL IS 6 PARTS PER MILLION AND FOR SHELLFISH IT IS 13 PARTS PER MILLION. UNDER THE OLD REGULATIONS A LIMIT OF 1.4 PARTS PER MILLION WAS SET FOR ALL SOLID FOOD.
THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT ARSENIC OCCURS NATURALLY IN MARINE LIFE AND THAT THERE IS NO SAFETY OBJECTION TO A LEVEL WHICH SHOWS THAT THE ARSENIC IS PRESENT AS A NATURAL CONSTITUENT. THIS CRITERION FOR FISH IS FOLLOWED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND TESTS IN HONG KONG HAVE SHOWN THAT THE NEW LEVELS SATISFY THIS CRITERION FOR FISH AND SHELLFISH RESPECTIVELY.
MERCURY CONTENT IN FOOD
THE NEW LIMIT SET FOR MERCURY IN FOOD IS 0.5 PARTS PER MILLION, IN PLACE OF THE FORMER PROHIBITION ON ANY MERCURY CONTENT. THE NEW LIMIT IS THE SAME AS THAT IMPOSED IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA IN THE UNITED KINGDOM THERE IS NO STATUTORY LIMIT,
AGAIN, THE SPOKESMAN STRESSED THAT THE NEW LIMIT IS FULLY CONSISTENT WITH THE SAFEGUARDING OF PUBLIC HEALTH.
PENALTIES
OFFENCES AGAINST THE REGULATIONS WILL FROM NOW ON CARRY LIABILITY TO A SENTENCE OF SIX MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT INSTEAD OF THREE MONTHS, IN ADDITION TO THE MAXIMUM FINE OF $2,000.
0
/2