Be careful what you ask for, abalone lovers warned

People buying sliced abalone to cook as a Lunar New Year delicacy should be careful or they might end up with an inferior product. The Consumer Council has received several complaints in the past year from people who thought they were buying abalone and ended up with sliced whelk, a large sea snail.

The problem is that bau pin, the short term for sliced abalone, is also trade slang for whelk. Shoppers wanting the real thing should make sure the seller knows what they want and make sure they get it.

One clue is price - whelk costs from a hundred to a few hundred dollars per tael, while abalone can cost thousands to tens of thousands for the same amount.

Many consumers also suspect that they may have bought fake fish maws when they see that they are still hard or melt after being soaked in hot water. But according to those in the trade, there are not many fake fish maws in Hong Kong.

Complaints about dried seafood and ginseng surged to 307 last year compared with 159 in 2003, according to the council. Many came from the recall of a ginseng powder product. Other people complained about sales tactics, product quality and whether the products were genuine.

Let the buyer beware