Pork, fish sales plummet as food scares hit home
Young families with children put safety first, survey finds
Recent food scares have led to a 40 per cent drop in families' purchases of fish, and 25 per cent drop in their purchases of pork, a survey showed.
People turned to canned goods as well as beef and poultry during the scares from July 25 to the end of last month, ACNielsen said when releasing their findings yesterday.
Its associate director, Eva Ng Yee-wah, said 1,500 households participated in the survey, using a HomeScan device to record their purchases.
'The drop in pork in terms of purchases was 25 per cent whereas for fish we saw a bigger drop of 40 per cent during these infections,' she said.
News of the pig-borne disease Streptococcus suis in Sichuan emerged in late July and the disease was declared under control late August, after 38 deaths from 204 cases.
The presence of cancer-causing malachite green in freshwater eels and fish gripped headlines from mid-July to late August.
Canned goods purchases jumped 50 per cent in the first two weeks of last month, while purchases of chicken increased to 30 per cent in the same period. Purchases of beef increased by 15 per cent, ACNielsen data showed.
Ms Ng said her company did similar studies during bird flu outbreaks and observed a similar, declining pattern for chicken. 'This indicates to us that Hong Kong households are very cautious in terms of food safety. Hopefully, with the testing control by the government we will see a picking-up in the purchases of fish and pork.'
The survey also showed that the biggest drop in purchases was seen in households with housewives younger than 35 and those with younger children.
'In families with younger children in particular, the parents will be very cautious about food safety for their children because younger children will be more vulnerable. We could see these incidents have a higher impact on these households,' she said.
Meanwhile, the Action Group on Medical Policy yesterday urged the government to set up a food safety authority answerable directly to the chief executive and to supervise a planned centre for food safety. The authority should be independent and headed by an experienced food specialist, said the group's spokesman, medical sector legislator Kwok Ka-ki.
Safety first in eating
Household purchases of food in August 2005 compared with August 2004
Fish - down 40pc
Pork - down 25pc
Canned goods - up 50pc
Chicken - up 30pc
Beef - up 15pc
Sample size: 1,500 households
Source: ACNielsen
