The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (November 3) urged the public not to consume a kind of soy milk beverage imported from Japan as the product might have a quality problem. The trade should stop using or selling the affected batches of the product concerned immediately if they possess them.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: (Not available in English) 
Brand: MARUSAN
Place of origin: Japan
Volume: 1,000 millilitres
JAN code: 4901033 630188
Expiry date: November 4, 2023 to April 12, 2024 
Importer: Solar Mart Limited 

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted a notification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, that the above-mentioned product was being recalled in Japan due to a possible quality problem. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS immediately contacted local importers for follow-up. A preliminary investigation revealed that the above-mentioned importer had imported into Hong Kong the affected batches of the product concerned."

     For the sake of prudence, the CFS has instructed the above-mentioned importer to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected product, and to initiate a recall. Enquiries about the recall can be made to the importer's hotline at 2321 0069 during office hours.

     The spokesman advised members of the public to stop consuming the affected product and seek medical treatment if they feel unwell after consuming the product concerned.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and continue to follow up and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.

     To safeguard food safety, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Hong Kong Customs have launched joint blitz operations from October 25 to inspect selling points of hairy crabs in various districts and combat the illegal sale of hairy crabs, with a view to ensuring that hairy crabs on sale in the market comply with relevant requirements under the laws.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said today (November 3), "Up till today, officers from the Centre for Food Safety, the Environmental Hygiene Branch of the FEHD and Customs officers have inspected more than 60 premises selling hairy crabs, including food premises and public market stalls. The source documents and health certificates of the hairy crabs were checked to ensure that the hairy crabs sold at the premises are in compliance with the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) as well as the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) (Cap. 362) and are fit for human consumption. The FEHD and Customs officers also distributed promotional leaflets to the operators of the premises, reminding them to pay attention to food safety and comply with relevant requirements under the laws. During the operations, no contravention was found."

     Under the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X), save with the written permission of the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH), no person shall sell any restricted foods, including shellfish. Operators selling hairy crabs (including physical premises and online sales) shall obtain the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD. Furthermore, the relevant regulatory condition also stipulates that hairy crabs for sale shall be obtained from a reliable and reputable source. A copy of the health certificate issued by the relevant authority and acceptable to the DFEH shall also be kept. Under the Regulation, any person who operates an unlicensed food business or sells restricted foods without permission commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction.

     In addition, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), all food available for sale in Hong Kong, locally produced or imported, should be fit for human consumption. An offender in this regard is subject to a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction. Under the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap. 612), any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the record-keeping requirement relating to movement of food commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for three months upon conviction.

     Customs reminds traders not to apply a false trade description to goods or services, or to supply or offer to supply goods or services to which a false trade description is applied. Those who violate the TDO are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years. Customs also attaches great importance to the protection of consumer rights and will take appropriate enforcement action once activities in violation of the TDO are detected in the market. 

     The FEHD and Customs remind the trade not to import or put on sale hairy crabs with an unknown origin, and consumers should make purchases at reputable shops with the Shell Fish (Hairy Crab) Permit or relevant written permission granted by the FEHD.

     If members of the public suspect that there are operators selling hairy crabs without the relevant permits/permissions or the hairy crabs are not accompanied with health certificates, they may make a report by calling the FEHD hotline at 2868 0000 or through email (enquiries@fehd.gov.hk).

     In addition, members of the public may make a report to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/) if they suspect that hairy crabs bought are of a falsely claimed place of origin.

  

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels), Create Hong Kong and the Film Development Fund are supporting the screening of six Hong Kong films at the 11th Asian Film Festival Barcelona being held in Barcelona, Spain, from October 25 to November 5.

     The six Hong Kong films are Lawrence Kan's "In Broad Daylight", Tracy Choi's "Lonely Eighteen", Andy Lo's "Once in a Blue Moon", Lau Kok-rui's "The Sunny Side of the Street", Au Cheuk-man's "Stand Up Story" and Cheuk Wan-chi's "Vital Sign".

     Speaking before the screening of a Hong Kong film on November 2 (Barcelona time), a representative of HKETO, Brussels highlighted that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been promoting creative industries and grooming talent in the film sector, strengthening Hong Kong's role as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The representative added that recently in "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address", new initiatives were announced to further develop the film market, including the Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme to sponsor film projects co-produced by Hong Kong filmmakers and their Asian and European counterparts. 

     The Asian Film Festival Barcelona specialises in Asian cinema, with a programme of more than 100 films from around 25 countries and cities in Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (November 3) that an aquatic product and seaweed products from regulated Japanese metropolis/prefecture were suspected to be in breach of the relevant Food Safety Order when the CFS inspected food imported from Japan. The products concerned have been marked and sealed by the CFS and have not entered the market. The CFS is following up on the cases.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "During inspections of the food labels of the concerned consignments of food imported from Japan, the CFS respectively found a pack of chilled oyster meat and two seaweed products which were processed in Ibaraki Prefecture, as well as a seaweed product suspected to have been processed in Tokyo, after the Order was issued. The importers concerned are thus suspected of breaching the relevant Order."

     According to the Order, all aquatic products originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, are prohibited from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong if they are harvested, manufactured, processed or packed on or after August 24, 2023, including all live, chilled, frozen, dried or otherwise preserved aquatic products, sea salt, and unprocessed or processed seaweed.

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

     The Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances, which enable the public to appreciate different cultural features of Asian ethnicities, will be held on November 12 (Sunday) from 1pm to 5pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza and Foyer, showcasing the arts and cultures of different parts of Asia through a variety of folk dances, musical instrument performances, a fashion show and a martial art performance. The event is also one of the highlights of the newly launched Asia+ Festival this year. Members of the public are welcome to join and admission is free.
 
​     With the theme of "Crowning the Harvest Hues", this year's Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances will manifest how Asian people celebrate the abundance of nature, showcasing the cultural essence of over 20 Asian countries and regions. Performances include a dragon dance; folk dances of Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Nepal, the Philippines, Türkiye and Sri Lanka; as well as a Korean traditional percussion performance and more.
 
​     Members of the public can also enjoy the rarely seen Kazakhstan dombra and Mongolian horse fiddle performances as well as a traditional handicrafts display, while families are also welcome to join the Sri Lankan drum workshop and Korean fragrant sachets workshop on-site.
 
​     Meanwhile, an exhibition entitled "Charm of Hues – National Costume and Headdress Exhibition" will be held from November 12 to 19 at the Foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The eight-day exhibition showcases beautiful costumes and decorations that people wear during festive events and arts performances. These include dance costumes of the Indian Bhangra dance, Nepal's Gurung tribe Ghatu dance and Japan's Tokushima traditional dance; northern Vietnam's traditional hat Nón Quai Thao for New Year celebrations, a Cambodian Apsara crown; the traditional costumes thobe and abaya worn by men and women of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and more.
 
​     In addition to the live performances and the exhibition mentioned above, the Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances will also offer an online programme recapturing the event highlights, to be broadcast on November 26 at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Community Programmes Office (CPO) website (www.cpo.gov.hk/activity/en-aecp-2023-carnival/).
 
​     Twenty-three countries and places will participate in the event, including Hong Kong, China; Macao, China; Bangladesh; Cambodia; India; Indonesia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Korea; Kuwait; Laos; Malaysia; Nepal; Mongolia; Pakistan; the Philippines; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Türkiye; the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. For details of the programme, please visit the website of the CPO or call 2591 1340. More details of the Asia+ Festival can be found here: www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/asiaplus/index.html.