Consumers 'have right to be told' of content (SCMP) 05月 15日 星期四 00:03AM

Consumers have the right to be adequately and fully informed on food content, the Consumer Council has said.

Under a proposed food-labelling law, pre-packaged food will be required to carry labels detailing the contents' total energy and seven core nutrients, including trans-fats. The original proposal exempted items with sales of less than 30,000 units a year unless they made nutritional claims, such as "low-fat" or "zero trans-fat".

However, despite pleas from the watchdog, the government on Monday told lawmakers that it would extend the food-labelling exemption to all products with sales fewer than 30,000 units per year, even if they make nutritional claims. But these products will have to carry stickers warning consumers they may not comply with Hong Kong law.

The council said the best option would be to require all products to carry nutrition labels and it hoped "the proposed legislation can be put into implementation as soon as possible".

"The objective of the proposed legislation is to increase information transparency of pre-packaged products," a spokesman said.

Medical groups have expressed disappointment with the government's move.

Tse Hung-hing, co-chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association's Taskforce on Nutrition Labelling, said putting stickers on products that make nutritional claims would mislead consumers. "Why not just cover up the claims instead? It's just deceptive ... the claims are used to attract consumers."

Terry Ting Ho-yan, head of the Practising Dietitians Association and Hong Kong Nutrition Association, criticised the government for ignoring the health of the public.

"[We] will not know the content of the food we are eating," he said.

The government on Monday admitted that the proposal to exempt all low-sales-volume food was "a compromise, but not the best option" after mounting pressure from some businessmen and consumers.

Under a proposed food-labelling law, pre-packaged food will be required to carry labels detailing the contents' total energy and seven core nutrients, including trans-fats. The original proposal exempted items with sales of less than 30,000 units a year unless they made nutritional claims, such as "low-fat" or "zero trans-fat".

However, despite pleas from the watchdog, the government on Monday told lawmakers that it would extend the food-labelling exemption to all products with sales fewer than 30,000 units per year, even if they make nutritional claims. But these products will have to carry stickers warning consumers they may not comply with Hong Kong law.

The council said the best option would be to require all products to carry nutrition labels and it hoped "the proposed legislation can be put into implementation as soon as possible".

"The objective of the proposed legislation is to increase information transparency of pre-packaged products," a spokesman said.

Medical groups have expressed disappointment with the government's move.

Tse Hung-hing, co-chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association's Taskforce on Nutrition Labelling, said putting stickers on products that make nutritional claims would mislead consumers. "Why not just cover up the claims instead? It's just deceptive ... the claims are used to attract consumers."

Terry Ting Ho-yan, head of the Practising Dietitians Association and Hong Kong Nutrition Association, criticised the government for ignoring the health of the public.

"[We] will not know the content of the food we are eating," he said.

The government on Monday admitted that the proposal to exempt all low-sales-volume food was "a compromise, but not the best option" after mounting pressure from some businessmen and consumers.