LCQ21: Nutrition labelling scheme for packaged food
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Under the existing Nutrition Labelling Scheme (the Scheme), prepackaged food products are required to label the energy and seven core nutrients (i.e. total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugars, sodium, protein and carbohydrates) "per package" or "per serving". It has been more than 15 years since the Scheme was fully implemented in 2010. In recent years, there have been notable changes in the dietary pattern of the public and the types of prepackaged food products, and cases of discrepancies between nutrition labels and actual ingredients have aroused public concern about the effectiveness of the Scheme and the monitoring work. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of complaints, sample tests or investigations received by the Government in the past five years involving discrepancies between nutrition labels and actual ingredients (with a breakdown by type of food products); among such cases, the most common food products which contravened the nutrition labelling requirements and the circumstances under which they contravened such requirements, as well as the number of food manufacturers or sellers prosecuted and convicted as a result;
(2) whether the Government has conducted regular or phased reviews on the effectiveness of the Scheme, including the public's understanding of nutrition labelling, its actual use, as well as its impact on improving dietary choices and promoting public health; if it has, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the Government will commence a comprehensive review of the entire existing Scheme; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether the Government has ascertained the current number of prepackaged food products on the market which use "0" labels (including "0 sugars", "0 sodium", "0 cholesterol", "0 trans fat", etc.); if so, broken down by food type and nutrients involved; whether the Government will review the threshold of the relevant "0" labelling or the way of labelling; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) at present, the labelling of dietary fibre is voluntary, whether the Government will review the nutrient labelling requirements under the Scheme and include dietary fibre as a mandatory labelled item, so as to tie in with the promotion of "3 Low, 1 High" dietary policy and facilitate the public's choice of high-fibre food products; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) whether the Government will consider making it mandatory for prepackaged food products to label the nutrition information of both "per package" and "per serving" under specific conditions, so as to facilitate consumers to compare similar food products; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Nutrition Labelling Scheme in Hong Kong aims at assisting consumers to make informed food choices, encouraging food manufacturers to supply food in compliance with nutrition standard, and regulating misleading or deceptive labels and claims. Given that most of the food is imported and taking into account the need for diverse categories of food in pluralistic society, the Government prioritises the interests of citizens and consumers, as well as their rights to information in formulating the Scheme. At the same time, it is also necessary to take into account industry practices and market conditions.
The reply to the questions raised by the Hon Chan Hoi-yan is as follows:
(1) Since the implementation of the Scheme, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has been conducting surveillance on pre-packaged food products and checking nutrition labels on a risk-based approach. The CFS has also been testing pre-packaged food samples to check if the contents of energy and seven nutrients specified for labelling are consistent with the labelled nutrient content on their nutrition labels.
In the past five years (from 2021 to 2025), the CFS received a total of 87 complaints involving suspected discrepancies between nutrition labels and actual compositions of pre-packaged food products. In response to the complaints and as part of routine surveillance, the CFS tested over 4 200 pre-packaged food samples. Among them, 148 samples showed discrepancies between their labelled nutrient content and the results of chemical analyses. They mainly involved bakery products as well as cereal and grain products. Please see Table for the figures. During the same period, the CFS initiated 28 cases of prosecution against contravention of relevant labelling legislation on pre-packaged food products whereby there were discrepancies between their labelled nutrient content and the results of chemical analyses. All these cases were convicted and involved 24 food retailers.
(2) The Government reviews the Scheme from time to time and has been keeping in view the up-to-date guidelines and standards domestically and abroad, such as the practices and the latest recommendations of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the Chinese Mainland and other countries/jurisdictions. The current requirements (including the numbers and types of nutrients to be listed in nutrition labels) under the Scheme in Hong Kong are in line with the CAC's recommendations and are similar to the requirements of the Chinese Mainland and the majority of other countries/jurisdictions.
The CFS has been promoting nutrition labels through a variety of channels with a view to enhancing public understanding from various perspectives and driving behavioural change among consumers, such that they could make good use of the information on the nutrition labels to make informed food choices. For instance, the CFS held a total of 33 health talks and eight roving exhibitions related to nutrition labels from January to May this year. The CFS also gauges public understanding of nutrition labels during the promotion activities. As shown in the survey results in the past five consecutive years, over 90 per cent of respondents "strongly agree" or "agree" that they have gained better knowledge and understanding of nutrition labels.
(3) With regard to the threshold or format of labelling, according to international practices, insignificant amounts of nutrients are generally regarded as negligible and may be labelled as "0". However, the definition of "0" labelling for different nutrients vary among countries/jurisdictions. At present, Hong Kong has made reference to the practices of the Chinese Mainland and other places in respect of the expression unit, rounding rules and the definition of "0" for certain nutrients. The CFS will continue to keep in view the latest developments domestically and abroad. The CFS does not maintain information on the number of pre-packaged food products on the market that use "0" labels.
(4) The CAC, the Chinese Mainland and most countries/jurisdictions have categorised "dietary fibre" as a voluntarily labelled nutrient under "recommended labelling" or "conditional labelling (e.g. nutrition claims)". In Hong Kong, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W) stipulates that the food trade is required to label the dietary fibre content of pre-packaged food products under the following two conditions: i.e., if the content of carbohydrates is labelled as "Total Carbohydrates" instead of "Available Carbohydrates"; and if nutrition claims related to "dietary fibre" are shown on the product packaging or in advertisements.
(5) According to the Regulations, the energy value and nutrient content on nutrition labels of pre-packaged food products must be labelled in one of the three formats predominantly adopted worldwide: per 100 grams or 100 milliliters, per serving or per package. The Government will continue to strike a balance between citizens' interests and rights to information, and industry practices and market conditions ,including industry compliance costs and feasibility in actual operation, and will closely monitor the latest developments in the implementation of the Scheme.
Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:58
Issued at HKT 11:58
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