29th September 2023 – (Hong Kong) The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has recently discovered regulated aquatic products, vegetables, and seaweed products from specific metropolis/prefectures during their inspection of imported food from Japan. The importers involved are suspected of violating the relevant Food Safety Order. To prevent these products from entering the market, the CFS has promptly labelled and sealed them. The CFS is currently conducting further investigations into these cases.
A spokesperson for the CFS stated, “During our inspection of food labels from the imported consignments originating in Japan, we identified one pack each of chestnut leaves and persimmon leaves from Fukushima, two packs of Japanese shiba shrimp suspected to be manufactured in Tokyo, a box of sea urchin from Miyagi, as well as a pack of kombu processed in Tokyo and a pack of makizushi nori manufactured in Ibaraki. These products are suspected to be in breach of the relevant Food Safety Order.”
According to the Order, the import of vegetables, fruits, milk, milk beverages, and dried milk from Fukushima is prohibited in Hong Kong. Additionally, aquatic products originating from ten specific metropolis/prefectures, including Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano, and Saitama, are banned from importation and supply in Hong Kong if they were harvested, manufactured, processed, or packed on or after 24th August, 2023. This prohibition applies to all forms of aquatic products, including live, frozen, chilled, dried, or preserved items, as well as sea salt and unprocessed or processed seaweed.