Pre-packing policy to also cover beef and mutton
A controversial policy requiring traders to pre-pack chilled pork is to be extended to mutton and beef.
Speaking at the Legislative Council's special panel on food safety and environmental hygiene, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai said chilled meat needed to be pre-packaged to help customers distinguish it from fresh products.
Under the policy, outlets need to obtain separate licences for the sale of fresh meat and the sale of chilled and frozen meat.
A document issued by the bureau reads: 'The label should contain information about the food content, the 'slaughtering' and 'use by' dates, the name and address of slaughtering plant and the net weight in English or Chinese or both languages ... The proposed arrangement would enhance food safety and protect consumer interests.'
People who tried to pass off chilled meat as fresh would face a fine of $50,000 and a daily fine of $900 and six months in jail.
According to Mrs Yau, the new requirement will be gazetted on Friday and take effect on August 18.
The policy drew criticism from legislators.
Catering lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan of the Liberal Party said the requirement of pre-packaging would impose additional costs on traders.
Wong Kwok-hing of the Federation of Trade Unions said it would benefit only supermarket giants as small outlets could not afford the extra packaging costs.
Meanwhile, a row broke out between the owner of a meat stall and a team of inspectors trying to collect meat samples in Yuen Long for testing early yesterday.
Three women and two men, including the 49-year-old owner of the shop in New Street, tried to stop the team from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which was inspecting stalls to see if any were adding preservatives while processing chilled pork and then passing off the meat as fresh. The five were taken to a police station but no arrests were made.
Inspectors seized about 310kg of pork believed to have come from an unauthorised source.
