The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (May 16) that a bottled tomato juice sample was found to be in breach of food labelling regulations for not declaring on its food label a permitted sweetener, steviol glycosides, that it contained. Follow-up is in progress.
Details of the product are as follows:
Product name: Dongwon Tomato Juice
Place of origin: Korea
Importer: Kofco Enterprise (Asia) Company Limited
Volume: 180 millilitres per bottle
Best-before date: January 12, 2017
"Subsequent to announcing earlier that a bottled tomato juice sample taken from a supermarket in Mong Kok was found to contain an undeclared permitted sweetener, steviol glycosides, the CFS found the same sweetener, without it being declared on the list of ingredients on the food label, in another bottled tomato juice sample of the same kind but from a different batch at the same supermarket," a spokesman for the CFS said.
"The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and the vendor has stopped selling and removed from shelves the affected product according to the instructions of the CFS. Should there be sufficient evidence, prosecution will be instituted. The CFS has also followed up with the supplier concerned to trace the distribution of the affected product," the spokesman said.
The spokesman urged the trade to observe the relevant laws and regulations. The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W) require that all prepackaged food for sale in Hong Kong should list out the food ingredients on its list of ingredients. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment.
The CFS will inform the trade, continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action.
Reprinted from HKSAR Government: http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201605/16/P201605160758.htm