Test all mainland dairy imports, lawmakers urge HK government

Lawmakers have urged the Hong Kong government to conduct comprehensive tests on all dairy products imported from the mainland to the city.

The calls came in the face of the milk-powder contamination scare on the mainland and the discovery of traces of the contaminant melamine in a Yili frozen yogurt bar product imported from the mainland.

Fred Li Wah-ming, former deputy chairman of the Legislative Council panel on food safety and environmental hygiene, said the situation was very serious and the government should immediately examine samples of all mainland-imported dairy products, as well as those made across the border.

'It is absolutely necessary to take such a move,' he said, citing the case of Taiwan-made canned drinks which were suspected to have been manufactured using contaminated Sanlu milk powder.

Supermarket chains Wellcome and ParknShop said they were liaising with the Centre for Food Safety to learn about the tainted milk powders. Wellcome, the only supermarket chain selling the Yili product, said it was recalling the item.