- A Comparative Product Test on Colour Ink Jet Printers and Thermal Fax Paper
- A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing a Pillow
- Labelling on foods contain beef or beef derivatives
- Rice cookers of poor design caight fire
- Compulsory Fitting and Wearing of Seat Belts (and Child Restraints) for Rear Seat and Middle Front Seat Passengers
- Guidelines on Energy Audit and Energy Efficiency Label
- Over-weight children
- Warning on using children's swim gears
- Price Survey on Residential Flats in Quarry Bay, Sai Wan Ho, and Shaukiwan
The Customs and Excise Department has seized a total of 26,492 pieces of non-complying aquatic toys - swim rings (15,311 pieces), swim arm bands (8,848), beach boats (2,127), pool floats (53) and beach balls (153) - valued at $341,900. The Department has also issued written warning to 21 wholesalers/importers and 50 retailers.
In addition, a pair of goggles was identified to be potentially hazardous to use by swimmers.
The transparent plastic lenses of the goggles were found broken into pieces when subjected to the "imitation protective equipment" test in accordance with the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance.
This poses a potential hazard of eye injury and may even lead to loss of eyesight in serious cases.
The goggles in question also failed to display the mandatory safety warning : "Warning! Does not provide protection in the event of an accident".
Consumers are urged to consult the report, in this 235th issue of the Consumer Council's monthly magazine 'CHOICE', to check if the goggles in their possession belong to this model. If so, they should cease using them immediately and report to the Customs and Excise Department.
Electric rice cookers have come to be used to prepare a multitude of foods other than just plain rice.
In Hong Kong, it is customary for people to use rice cooker to steam dishes, prepare rice with meat and seasoning, to boil congee and soup, and even to use it as a cooking utensil for Chinese hotpot.
But this could land you into trouble if your rice cooker is not designed for such purpose other than cooking plain rice.
At least two complaints have been brought to the notice of the Consumer Council against a model of electronic rice cooker. In both cases, fire was alleged to have started automatically at the hinge joint when the cooker was set at the 'keep warm' mode of operation.
Both fires, fortunately, were swiftly spotted and put out by the complainants without further damage.
It was believed that the fire originated at the connector, situated at the cooker's hinge, for connecting circuit to a low-power heater at the cooker's lid which operates during the 'keep warm' mode.
The Consumer Council has put the cookers to tests to examine if they comply with fire safety. It was found that the connector at the hinge came afire but because its size was so small the fire quickly burned itself out within the safety limit of 30 seconds. The cooker was therefore considered to be in overall compliance with fire safety.
It was believed that in the complaints cases, the rice cookers have been used to prepare food other than plain rice. Traces of overflow (including spices and seasoning) were detected in one cooker in question and traces of spice were found in the other. In one cooker, the dew venting holes, situated at the hinge joint, were clogged with dried rice and foreign matters. As the sticky fluid had entered the hinge joint, it got adhered to the connector, resulting in a flash over and fire.
An examination of the user manual found that, first, there was no explicit warning that the cooker can only be used to cook plain rice, and, second, it failed to highlight the importance of keeping the dew venting holes unclogged.
On the advice of the Consumer Council, the manufacturer has agreed to improve the safety design of the connector as well as the instructions in the user manual.
Consumers using the same type of rice cookers that does not provide cooking schedule other than that for cooking plain rice, are advised to use with due care. There are rice cookers that can provide more cooking methods than just for plain rice.
The Consumer Council has expressed concern over the lack of clear labelling to enable consumers to identify if processed foods contain beef or beef derivatives.
In this May issue of 'CHOICE' is published an "Inside Story" in the magazine of the UK Consumers' Association on the BSE crisis.
The article stressed the importance of labelling. Without such clear information, consumers are at risk of eating Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)-infected beef and beef products including mechanically-recovered meat (MRM).
In the light of the UK findings, the Consumer Council will follow up with the relevant Government departments, food importers, manufacturers and the drug industry on the state of the situation on beef, beef products and drugs in Hong Kong.
In the report, it was revealed that many processed foods in fact contain beef or beef derivatives, such as beef fat, stock, bone stock, beef extract or gelatine.
But not only do the names of these processed foods can fail to tell the whole story, it can be impossible to tell if a product contains beef or its derivatives even if you read the small print on the label.
Under existing UK labelling rules, manufacturers do not have to identify what types of meats are used. Further, the definition of 'meat' is wide, and can include types of beef offal such as kidneys.
But of more concern is that food producers are not required to disclose if their products contain mechanically - recovered meat (MRM). MRM is left-over meat, gristle and bone which is literally blasted from the animal's carcass.
According to the report, the UK Government banned vertebrae from use in MRM after it was found that spinal cord (which is a highly-infectious part of cattle with BSE) was not being properly removed from the vertebrae in slaughter-houses.
But there was no recall of foods containing MRM, so some, with a long shelf life, may still be on sale.
The British Consumers' Association has reported, in its "Inside Story", a number of foods found to contain beef or beef products.
- Lamb stock cubes actually contained beef stock while beef extract was present in bacon and tomato sandwich fillers.
- Biscuits, previously with beef fat from British beef, have since switched to using fat from foreign beef.
- A major baby food manufacturer said that its beef recipes are all made with meat from either Holland or Ireland; others said their beef is not from British herds.
However, some foods though labelled to contain meat or fat suspected to be of beef, were actually without:
- a spaghetti with 'meat boulders' lists 'burgers' as an ingredient which, according to the manufacturer, was made from a combination of pork, mutton and chicken.
- The 'animal fat' in a pudding was actually from fish oil, not beef fat.
This demonstrates the importance of clear food labellings to assist consumer choice.
Gelatine, on the other hand, which is found in a wide range of sweets and desserts, has now been ruled risk free by the World Health Organisation.
The report also cited these statistics: since 1988, the UK has reported more than 160,000 cases of BSE. This compares with 123 in Ireland, 13 in France and 4 in Germany. In Ireland and France, whole herds are slaughtered if just one cow has BSE.
In view of the lack of scientific evidence available that can predict the level of the risk of BSE with any security, the British Consumers' Association has recommended to the UK Government:
- Clear labelling so that consumers can identify foods containing beef and beef products, including mechanically recovered meat.
- Further research into how the disease is spread and which parts of the animal carry the highest risk. The science to test for BSE in cattle needs developing urgently.
- An independent food agency should be set up to work in the interests of the public, without being compromised by industry. The UK Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food currently represents the meat industry as well as consumers.
The Consumers' Association also has this advice to offer : "if you want to continue eating beef, you can considerably reduce the risk of eating BSE-infected meat by sticking to 'muscle' meat and avoiding beef products.
"Foods most likely to contain BSE-infected beef are those which contain MRM and offal. If food manufacturers were required to identify the type of meat or animal fats in their foods, and to indicate whether MRM or offal was used, consumers would be able to make informed choices about what they eat".
Until then, if you are concerned about the contents of a particular product, contact the manufacturer for details, or ask at your supermarket.
Meanwhile, Consumers International (CI), the international federation of 212 consumer organisations in 87 countries, at its Executive meeting in Harare on April 25-27, 1996, has agreed an action programme on BSE.
Safe food is a priority for all consumers and all governments should adopt a precautionary policy and eliminate BSE from the food chain. Consumers International has issued a policy on BSE and will be seeking to ensure that it is implemented.
For this purpose, CI has asked all members to approach their governments to obtain information on the incidence of BSE and CJD in their countries. This information will be used to prepare a report so that consumer organisations can monitor the situation and take all the steps within their power to protect consumers.