XN000022-1997-03-05 — Page 55

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(b)

(c)

whether a review will be conducted to examine if the legislation mentioned in the answer to (a) above is adequate in safeguarding the interests of the consumers; and

whether there were any cases of people having health problems due to the intake of health food on sale in the market in the past three years; if so, of the total number of such cases and the main causes of their occurrence?

Reply:

The legal framework for control of foods is laid down in Part V of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) and its subsidiary legislation. Under the Ordinance, the sale of any food intended for, but unfit for, human consumption is an offence. The Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation also lay down specific requirements and standards relating to the composition and labelling of foods, use of colouring matter, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. In addition, there are provisions in the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance (Cap. 231) to prohibit the advertising of any substance for the purpose of treatment or prevention of specified diseases.

At present, there is no established categorization of "health foods" worldwide. The sale of "health food" is therefore subject to the legal provisions described above which are meant to give adequate protection to public health and the interests of the consumers. We will keep abreast of local and overseas developments in considering whether a review of the control measures is necessary.

Since "health food" is not distinguished from the rest of the food items, we do not have any specific information on cases of people having health problems due to intake of "health food" on sale in the market. Nevertheless, the safety of all kinds of foods, including "health foods", is closely monitored by the Department of Health and the municipal departments.

End