The Government launched today (December 16) a public consultation exercise on the proposed amendments to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V). It will last for two months until February 16.
A Government spokesman said, "One of the initiatives set out in the Supplement of the Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address is to review food safety standards under the Regulations with reference to international standards and practices, with a view to better protecting public health, facilitating effective regulation and promoting harmonisation between local and international food safety standards."
With reference to latest standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) and major food importing places including Mainland China, the Government proposes to add 27 new maximum levels (MLs) for specified metals (including lead, cadmium and methylmercury) in specified foods (food pairs) and update nine MLs for lead in the existing relevant food pairs. The total number of MLs will increase from 144 to 171 after the amendment.
The Government proposes that a transitional period of 18 months be given after the enactment of the amended legislation, so that the food trade and other stakeholders will have reasonable time to make adjustments to comply with the amended Regulations.
The consultation document is available on the websites of the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Members of the public are welcome to offer their views on the proposals by email (metal_consultation@fehd.gov.hk), fax (2893 3547) or post (43/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong) within the consultation period.
The Government will also conduct consultation forums to collect views from the public. For details of the consultation forums, please visit the CFS website.
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