The Food Adulteration (metallic Contamination) (Amendment) Regulation 2018 (the Amendment Regulation), which stipulates the updated standards for metallic contamination in food, takes full effect on November 1. All kinds of foods must comply with the Amendment Regulation starting from today.

The amendments aim to enhance the regulatory control and update the standards with a view to better protecting public health, facilitating effective regulation and aligning Hong Kong's standards with the international ones. The Amendment Regulation increases the total number of metallic contaminants from the former seven to 14. The number of maximum levels (MLs) for metallic contaminants in respect of different foods and food groups is increased from the former 19 to 144. The Amendment Regulation also provides definitions for individual foods and food groups, replaces or deletes obsolete clauses, and provides the principles for the application of MLs on food in a dried, dehydrated or concentrated form and on compounded food. There are also transitional provisions in the Amendment Regulation to provide different grace periods for different kinds of food.

A Government spokesman said, "The Amendment Regulation came into force on November 1, 2019. To allow sufficient time for traders to adapt to the updated MLs (including identifying alternative sources of supply if needed), and for the local testing and laboratory sector to build up testing capability for the new MLs, the Amendment Regulation first took effect for certain types of fresh food with a shorter shelf life (i.e. fruit and vegetables and their juice, animal and poultry meat, edible offal of animal and poultry, aquatic animals and poultry eggs which have not been subjected to a process of preservation, or have been preserved by chilling but not freezing). For other foods, which normally have a longer shelf/storage life, a 12-month grace period was offered under the Amendment Regulation. The relevant grace period has ended and the Amendment Regulation takes full effect from today on all kinds of foods."

For details of the Amendment Regulation and relevant guidelines, please visit the website of the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) at www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_fstr/whatsnew_fstr_PA_Food_Adulteration_metallic_Contamination.html. For enquiries, please call the FEHD hotline: 2868 0000.

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