324
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
At present, close liaison with the World Health Organization is being maintained in order to bring Hong Kong abreast of international advancements in the food industry. In the event that there is internationally acknowledged evidence to show MSG is harmful to the human body, appropriate action to introduce legislation to ban the use of MSG in food and to prohibit the import and sale of food containing such substance will be taken.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I have a question for Miss YEUNG. Since the World Health Organization has already set down certain Acceptable Daily Intake Levels and that for some people if they absorb MSG too rapidly, there may be allergic reactions, could the Select Committee do more publicity for the benefit of the public in this regard?
Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, we will definitely do more publicity concerned if we can get more evidence.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, there are already some evidences. I wonder if the Select Committee could do more publicity on the basis of this evidence?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):-Yes, that has been done, Mr. Chairman. As mentioned in the reply, advisory letters have already been issued to the food trade.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, this is the publicity to the food trade but what about the public in general? Can that be done?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):—It can be done.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I am grateful to the Honourable Hilton Cheong-LeeN for asking this question. Perhaps to set the magnitude of the problem in the proper perspective, can I ask whether the Chairman of Food Hygiene S/C knows what is the tonnage of MSG being imported into Hong Kong annually? That figure was quoted in a newspaper recently. That is the opening of many questions that I have to follow.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-This may be a little bit tricky question actually.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):—No, I said, Mr. Chairman, that it was printed in a newspaper was recorded. Can I supply the answer, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-That is what I hope actually.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Eight Thousand metric tonnes. May I carry on, Mr. Chairman? In view of the fact that the constituent of MSG is in fact protein, does that mean that the more we take in MSG everyday, the healthier we become?
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CHAIRMAN (in English):-Well, could we listen to the advice of our in-house doctor? The Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee may not be able to answer the question on health.
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):-May I be qualified as a medical doctor? (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN (in English): Could the Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee allow Dr. LEUNG to answer on your behalf?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese): Yes, thank you very much for Dr. LEUNG to give us the reply.
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, the answer is this: MSG is 20 per cent constituent of protein, it is talking about MSG alone, it doesn't mean that when we take in protein, it is MSG or when we take in MSG, it is protein to the body. According to the medical knowledge, there is no proof to show the MSG is healthy to the body in any way.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in Cantonese):--I thank Dr. LEUNG for his reply, Mr. Chairman. In Miss YEUNG's reply, it is stated that protein comprises MSG, it seems as it is helpful to health, so does more in-take mean better health?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I can say that it is not healthy to have excess dosage of any food.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-The answer says that there are no cogent reasons for prohibiting the use of MSG but it does recognize the fact that rapid absorption of large doses of MSG may produce temporary allergic reaction. Can I ask what sort of temporary allergic reaction one can get from rapid absorption of MSG? I know what it is, I will supply the answer later but I think the public should know.
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):-You will be thirsty and sometimes you may feel giddy and in some serious cases, you might go deaf.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-In view of those, is it harmful to health although it may not be fatal to health? No body will die from over-dose of MSG but is it a recognized fact that many of these overseas Chinese restaurants now in America and in London will have in a menu an asterisk annotation at the bottom of the menu, it says if the customer prefers not to have MSG in the food, please say so and the cook will delete the MSG because people do get a very serious reaction from MSG and that is called Chinese Food Syndrome.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Well, I guess that it is really a statement which should be left to the Food Hygiene Select Committee for consideration and possibly discuss with the Department.
T
324
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
At present, close liaison with the World Health Organization is being maintained in order to bring Hong Kong abreast of international advancements in the food industry. In the event that there is internationally acknowledged evidence to show MSG is harmful to the human body, appropriate action to introduce legislation to ban the use of MSG in food and to prohibit the import and sale of food containing such substance will be taken.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I have a question for Miss YEUNG. Since the World Health Organization has already set down certain Acceptable Daily Intake Levels and that for some people if they absorb MSG too rapidly, there may be allergic reactions, could the Select Committee do more publicity for the benefit of the public in this regard?
Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese): -Mr. Chairman, we will definitely do more publicity concerned if we can get more evidence.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, there are already some evidences. I wonder if the Select Committee could do more publicity on the basis of this evidence?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):-Yes, that has been done, Mr. Chairman. As mentioned in the reply, advisory letters have already been issued to the food trade.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, this is the publicity to the food trade but what about the public in general? Can that be done?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):—It can be done.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Mr. Chairman, I am grateful to the Honourable Hilton Cheong-LeeN for asking this question. Perhaps to set the magnitude of the problem in the proper perspective, can I ask whether the Chairman of Food Hygiene S/C knows what is the tonnage of MSG being imported into Hong Kong annually? That figure was quoted in a newspaper recently. That is the opening of many questions that I have to follow.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-This may be a little bit tricky question actually.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):—No, I said, Mr. Chairman, that it was printed in a newspaper was recorded. Can I supply the answer, Mr. Chairman?
CHAIRMAN (in English):-That is what I hope actually.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-Eight Thousand metric tonnes. May I carry on, Mr. Chairman? In view of the fact that the constituent of MSG is in fact protein, does that mean that the more we take in MSG everyday, the healthier we become?
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 183 of 201
325
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Well, could we listen to the advice of our in-house doctor? The Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee may not be able to answer the question on health.
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in English):-May I be qualified as a medical doctor? (Laughter).
CHAIRMAN (in English): Could the Chairman of the Food Hygiene Select Committee allow Dr. LEUNG to answer on your behalf?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese): Yes, thank you very much for Dr. LEUNG to give us the reply.
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, the answer is this: MSG is 20 per cent constituent of protein, it is talking about MSG alone, it doesn't mean that when we take in protein, it is MSG or when we take in MSG, it is protein to the body. According to the medical knowledge, there is no proof to show the MSG is healthy to the body in any way.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in Cantonese):--I thank Dr. LEUNG for his reply, Mr. Chairman. In Miss YEUNG's reply, it is stated that protein comprises MSG, it seems as it is helpful to health, so does more in-take mean better health?
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I can say that it is not healthy to have excess dosage of any food.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-The answer says that there are no congent reasons for prohibiting the use of MSG but it does recognize the fact that rapid absorption of large doses of MSG may produce temporary allergic reaction. Can I ask what sort of temporary allergic reaction one can get from rapid absorption of MSG? I know what it is, I will supply the answer later but I think the public should know.
MISS CECILIA L. Y. YEUNG (in Cantonese):-You will be thirsty and sometimes you may feel giddy and in some serious cases, you might go deaf.
MR. LAWRENCE H. L. FUNG (in English):-In view of those, is it harmful to health although it may not be fatal to health? No body will die from over-dose of MSG but is it a recognized fact that many of these overseas Chinese restaurants now in America and in London will have in a menu an asterisk annotation at the bottom of the menu, it says if the customer prefers not to have MSG in the food, please say so and the cook will delete the MSG because people do get a very serious reaction from MSG and that is called Chinese Food Syndrome.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Well, I guess that it is really a statement which should be left to the Food Hygiene Select Committee for consideration and possibly discuss with the Department.
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