Honey lovers beware . . . Consumer Council test uncovers adulteration in at least one honey sample
The Consumer Council has found suspected adulteration in the tested sample of at least one honey available in the market. Suspicion is based on the findings of a Council's test :
- The sample contained 8.3% of sucrose, much higher than the 5% maximum allowed by the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations. Genuine honey contains very small amount of sucrose, varying with different nectar origins and averaging about 1.3%.
- The sample fell short of the minimum required level of invert sugar (which honey is mainly composed of i.e. fructose and glucose), of 65% as stipulated in the WHO (World Health Organisation) Codex Standard of Honey. It had only 62% of invert sugar.
- The sample also exceeded the WHO standard on moisture content which is an indicator of the quality of honey. This is because honey is susceptible to fermentation by yeast which accelerates with increasing moisture content, and in the process alters the quality of honey. Its moisture content was more than 25%, exceeding the WHO limit of 21%.
In addition, samples of 2 other honey were also in excess of the statutory limit onsucrose. One contained 6.2% and another 5.9% of sucrose.
The Department of Health has been duly notified of the results of theCouncil's test on a total of 36 honey samples.
Besides the 3 samples mentioned above, 7 others werealso not in full compliance with the WHO Codex Standard of Honey. Thenon-compliance was more serious in respect of moisture content and HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural)which is a by-product of fructose decay. As with moisture content, HMF is usedfrequently as an indicator of quality since its value is close to zero in veryfresh honey and its level increases with storage time and exposure to heat.
Consumers are advised to consult the results of the test published in thelatest (276th) issue of the Council's monthly magazine CHOICE today. They areurged to take note of the following :
- Avoid feeding infants under one year of age with honey.
- Note the minimum durability indication on the product label.
- Choose products which are tightly sealed and whose packaging is not sticky.
- Avoid exposing honey to heat and direct sunlight.
- Store below 5 ° C (e.g. fresh food compartment of refrigerator) to avoid crystallization.
Mobile phones, CB radio, remote control devices, electric shavers, etc. are all on prohibition list for use aboard aircraft
Grave concerns have been raised over the potentially hazardous use of mobile phones aboard aircraft.
To heighten consumers' awareness of the prohibition on use of electronic devices aboard aircraft, the Consumer Council has conducteda survey of the policies of 10 international airlines.
There are concerns that the use of such devices may cause interference toaircraft radio and navigation equipment that could result in deviation fromoriginal path or change in altitude, endangering the safety of a crusingaircraft.
The survey findings are quite an eye-opener to air travellers: the list of electronic devices, with various degrees of restriction for use aboard aircraft, covers far more items than just mobile phones.
While airlines may vary in their restriction on use of portable electronic devices during flight, the survey shows that all the 10 airlines unanimously prohibit the use of three specific types of equipment at all times aboard.
They are: mobile telephones, Citizens Band (CB) radio (walkie-talkie devices) and remote control devices. Passengers are required to strictly observe this prohibition by switching off these devices and not operating them during the flight.
Other types of devices which some airlines prohibit are: CD players, MD players, radio and portable television sets. But some airlines confine the prohibition on these types of devices to only during take-off and landing.
Restriction of use is also imposed, during take-off and landing, on laptop computers, calculators, walkmans, tape recorders,portable electronic games, camcorders, projectors, electronic entertainment devices and electric shavers.
Personal medical equipment such as heart pacemakers are excluded and can be used on board without restrictions.
In view of the potential interference to aircraft equipment and hazards to air safety, the Civil Aviation Department has taken steps to notify Hong Kong operators with regard to the use of portable electronic devices and mobile phones aboard aircraft.
According to the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order1995, every person in an aircraft registered in Hong Kong shall obey the lawful commands of aircraft's commanders. Passengers found using portable electronic devices not in accordance with the commanders' advice and refusing to switch off are liable to prosecution under the law.
In Hong Kong, the maximum penalty for such an offence is a fine of $5,000and imprisonment for 2 years.
According to the survey, most airlines have public addresses, prior to take-off and landing, requiring passengers to switch off all portable electronic equipment. As this is potentially a matter of life and death, passengers should listen carefully to these public addresses and be in strict obedience of the instructions given by the crew members.
As a safety precaution, airlines are urged to consider providing prior notices of such restrictions to passengers at the check-in counters.
CLAF succeeds in obtaining damages for heart patient
The Consumer Legal Action Fund (CLAF) has successfully sought compensation for a heart patient who had a defective pacemaker implanted in his body.
The patient had to undergo two unnecessary surgical operations to replace the defective product in his body.
This is the first time the Consumer Council, as trustee of CLAF, assisted a complainant ofdefective product to claim damages in a product liability case.
With the financial aid of CLAF, the Council was able to initiate legal proceedings against the traders concerned. The action effectively resulted in the case now being settled out of court.
The complainan thas agreed to accept an offer of $150,000 plus costs as settlement of his claim for damages.
The matter was first brought to the Consumer Council for assistance in August 1997.
According to the complainant, his ordeal began after he was diagnosed with heart block and a permanent pacemaker had to be implanted into his body.
In 1990, a pacemaker was implanted in a surgical operation at a hospital. This is his first of three operations.
In 1995, a fractured atrial lead was detected in his pacemaker and the complainant was advised to replace the device as soon as possible. He had his second surgical operation performed to implant a new pacemaker of the same manufacturer.
In 1996, the hospital was notified by the manufacturer that the pacemaker implanted belonged to a batch of pacemakers found to be defective. The complainant was advised to undergo yet another - his third - operation.
As it transpired,the pacemaker removed from his body on the second occasion was later found by the manufacturer to be operating normal. But this came all too late to be of any comfort to the complainant.
The complainant sought to claim compensation for loss and damage suffered after undergoing two extra and unnecessary operations on account of defects in a product.
Despite the mediation of the Consumer Council, the complaint could be not resolved satisfactorily. It was then referred to CLAF for further consideration.Assistance was subsequently granted to issue legal proceedings on behalf of the complainant against the vendor of the pacemaker.
The CLAF aims to give greater consumer access to legal remedies by providing financial support and legal assistance. If the assisted consumer is successful in the matter, the consumer has to pay a contribution to the CLAF.
Caution on slimming drug
The beauty-conscious are cautioned about taking the drug Or list at for merely slimming purpose.
Or list at,according to a CHOICE report, is for the obese whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 30 kg/m2. Or someone who is overweight with other risk factors such as hypertension, ischaemic heart disease or diabetes.
And if you are under very strict diet control, you need to take vitamin supplements as Or list at may affect the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Or list at may interfere with the absorption of some medicines too.
Consumers are advised to seek doctor's opinion before taking the drug.
The report notes that the result of Or list at is by no means dramatic - weight loss is limited to 5% to 10% of initial body weight after 6 months of usage.
Or list at acts by inhibiting the action of the gastrointestinal enzyme so that 30% of the dietary fat pass through the gut undigested. The body therefore cannot use this undigested fat as a source of energy or convert it to fat issue.
Other highlights in this October issue of CHOICE
Digital Cameras - Test results on 11 models of digital cameras are published for the first time. 8 of them are zoom type and 3 are fixed focal length type, ranging in list price from $2,600 to $9,200. All models can take pictures of resolution of at least 1024 x 768 pixels. Picture quality, auto focus system, exposure system, viewfinder, LCD monitor, ease of use, performance are compared.
MD players vs MP3Players - Information on 16 models of portable MD players (of which 6 are recordable) and 4 models of portable MP3 players. The latter is a computer file format used for storing audio data; songs in MP3 format can be downloaded from the Internet. Characteristics of both MD and MD3 players are also compared.