CFS follows up on illegal import of burdock from Japan

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (August 30) that a carton of burdock, totalling ten kilograms, from Gunma Prefecture, Japan was illegally imported into Hong Kong. None of the product concerned has entered the market. The CFS is following up on the case.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS inspected a consignment of food imported from Japan and found the abovementioned burdock product from Gunma Prefecture therein. It was not accompanied with a radiation certificate and an exporter certificate issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF)of Japan, breaching the relevant Food Safety Order. The product concerned has not entered the market and has been marked and sealed by the CFS. The Centre has taken a sample of the product concerned for testing of radiation level and no radiation has been detected.

     "According to the Order, the import of vegetables, fruits, milk, milk beverages and dried milk from four Japanese prefectures, namely Ibaraki, Tochigi, Chiba and Gunma, must be accompanied with radiation certificates and exporter certificates issued by the MAFF of Japan. The CFS conducts a radiation test on each consignment of Japanese food import, and requires importers not to sell the products until the test result turns out to be satisfactory. The aforementioned illegal import was detected by the CFS during inspection and the product concerned did not enter the market. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the CFS' gate-keeping work."

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action, including informing the Japanese authorities concerned of the incident. Prosecution will be instituted against the importer concerned should there be sufficient evidence. Investigation is ongoing.