Following is a question by the Hon. Fred Li Wah-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment and Food, Mrs Lily Yam, in the Legislative Council meeting today (March 6):

Question :

It has been reported that the State General Administration of the People's Republic of China for Quality Supervision and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has recently announced that 17 types of foodstuffs in the Mainland were found to contain preservative, additive and bacteria contents exceeding the prescribed national safety standards. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council :

(a)whether it knows the types and brands of those foodstuffs;

(b)whether it has approached the AQSIQ for information concerning the inspection of those foodstuffs;

(c)whether those foodstuffs are sold in Hong Kong; if so, of the actions it has taken to ensure public health; and

(d)of the upper limits prescribed by the Mainland and Hong Kong for the use of three common food preservatives and additives (i.e. benzoic acid, sorbic acid and saccharin sodium), and if the standards prescribed by the Mainland are more stringent, whether it will amend the regulations concerned to keep in line with those standards; if not, of the reasons for that?

Answer :

(a), (b), (c): The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) had made an enquiry with AQSIQ regarding the report. According to information provided by AQSIQ, the inspection they conducted was confined to foodstuffs for internal consumption. None of those foodstuffs were sold in Hong Kong.

(d)The Codex Alimentarius Commission under the United Nations has just set a limit of 2000 parts per million for use of benzoic acid in preserved vegetables several months ago. However, the standards for sorbic acid and saccharin sodium in preserved vegetables are still being discussed. The proposal at this stage is that the upper limits for use of these two types of food additives in preserved vegetables should be 2000 parts per million.

The Preservatives in Food Regulations (Cap. 132 sub. leg.) provide for the limits of 250 parts per million and 1000 parts per million for the use of benzoic acid and sorbic acid in preserved vegetables respectively. Many European and North American countries have similar standards in place. The limit for both substances is 500 parts per million in the Mainland.

Regarding saccharin sodium, the limit for its use in preserved vegetables in the Mainland is 150 parts per million. In Hong Kong, saccharin sodium is an artificial sweetener permitted for use as a food additive. In practice, only a small amount of saccharin sodium is needed to achieve the desired result. Excessive use will noticeably change the taste of food. The use of a small amount of saccharin sodium in food has been confirmed to be safe. Taking these factors into consideration, the current legislation in Hong Kong has not stipulated specific limits for the use of saccharin sodium.

We will follow the Codex discussions closely and will make reference to the latest international standards in deciding whether we need to amend current standards or stipulate new standards in the law.

End/Wednesday, March 6, 2002

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