Advertisement
Parallel trading
Hong Kong

Chinese woman in milk formula blunder hits back at Hong Kong Customs

The mainland woman mistakenly charged with flouting the two-tin limit on infant milk formula has criticised Hong Kong customs officials for not saying sorry. "They gave no apology when they called me yesterday evening, but just told me bluntly that I needed to travel to Hong Kong in person to collect my HK$1,000 bail money and the six cans they confiscated," Huang Xuejiao, 29, told the South China Morning Post.

2-MIN READ2-MIN
Customs officers inspect luggage at Lok Ma Chau. Photo: Edward Wong
Ernest Kao

The mainland woman mistakenly charged with flouting the two-tin limit on infant milk formula has criticised Hong Kong customs officials for not saying sorry.

"They gave no apology when they called me yesterday evening, but just told me bluntly that I needed to travel to Hong Kong in person to collect my HK$1,000 bail money and the six cans they confiscated," Huang Xuejiao, 29, told the South China Morning Post.

"If it wasn't my fault, why should I pay for the trip?" added Huang, who lives in Nanjing , in the eastern province of Jiangsu , some 1,200 kilometres away as the crow flies.

Advertisement

Huang was detained by the Customs and Excise Department last week after they mistook all six tins in her luggage for milk formula when four of them contained rice-based baby cereal instead.

New rules limit unlicensed exports of powdered formula for children under 36 months to two cans per traveller. This includes any "milk or milk-like substance in powder form", including soya milk powder.

Advertisement

Customs withdrew the charge against Huang after realising rice cereal was not subject to the new regulations. They said Huang would get back her HK$1,000 in bail money as well as the six seized tins.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x