The Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) (Amendment) Regulation 2025 (the Amendment Regulation) comes into effect today (September 5), updating the safety standards for metal content in food. The amendments aim to enhance consumer protection, facilitate the food trade, and keep local food safety standards on par with international standards.

     A Government spokesman said that the Amendment Regulation has taken into account factors such as the metallic contamination standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, relevant standards adopted by major sources of food import, local food consumption patterns and dietary practices, and risk assessment results. It adds 27 new maximum levels (MLs) of specified metals (including lead, cadmium and methylmercury) in specified foods (food pairs), and updates nine MLs of lead in the existing relevant food pairs. As a result, the total number of MLs stipulated in the Amendment Regulation has increased from 144 to 171.

     To allow the trade sufficient time to adapt to the updated MLs and food safety standards, the Amendment Regulation provides a grace period of 18 months. During the said period, any food product would be deemed compliant as long as it complies wholly with the pre-amendment or revised requirements under the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V). Upon the lapse of the grace period on March 5, 2027, all food must fully comply with the requirements of the Amendment Regulation.

     The Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has issued updated user guidelines to facilitate the trade's compliance. For details of the Amendment Regulation, please refer to the webpage (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fstr/whatsnew_fstr_PA_Food_Adulteration_Metallic_Contamination_2.html).

Ends/Friday, September 5, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:00

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