Massive leap in raw meat and egg smuggling into Hong Kong sparks food poisoning warning
- Almost 190 cases involving illegal importation of foodstuffs – about two cases a day – logged in first three months of year
- Customs officials say food smuggling cases increased after border with mainland China reopened earlier this year
An increase in the illegal importation of raw meat and eggs since the border with mainland China reopened has sparked a warning from Hong Kong customs officials that their consumption could lead to food poisoning and other health problems.
Officials on Thursday said the 186 cases involving illegal importation of foodstuffs recorded in the first three months of 2023 – about two cases a day – were almost as many as the 192 similar cases recorded for the whole of last year.
Customs chief superintendent Barry Lai Chi-wing said the service noticed a jump in smuggling offences after travel restrictions were dropped at the start of the year.
Eggs accounted for 62 per cent of the foodstuffs smuggled and raw meat for 38 per cent.
“Travellers usually put the meat and eggs in their hand luggage, suitcases, carts or nylon bags,” Lai said.
“The condition of the meat was not ideal as they were simply put in some plastic bags with nothing to preserve freshness or temperature.”
He added: “We can see the ways travellers store these foods are very simple and careless. Eggs were put in plastic buckets and bottles … poor hygiene can be observed.”
Lai said the “careless” way of storing the foodstuffs showed that travellers may be unaware that they were breaking the law.
“[The travellers might] bring the foods back home for cooking or for household use. For bigger smuggling cases, they will be delivered to local markets for sale or further distribution,” he explained.
“The cheaper pricing of the fresh foods in the mainland may be one of the reasons they were brought into Hong Kong.”
Lai warned travellers that they should avoid breaches of the law by carrying such food when they crossed the border over the mainland’s Labour Day “golden week” holiday, which runs from Saturday until May 3.
About 93 per cent of illegal importation – 174 cases – were intercepted at land border crossings, nine were detected in air cargo and three were by sea.
There were 181 people arrested in connection with the offences, 75 per cent of them Hong Kong residents.
It is illegal to bring game, meat, poultry or eggs into Hong Kong without a health certificate issued by the place of origin or prior written approval from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Those convicted of offences could face a HK$50,000 (US$6,370) fine and up to six months in jail.
There were also three large-scale regulated food smuggling cases in the first quarter, which involved 377kg (743lbs) of goods worth HK$38,000. Three people were arrested in connection with the offences.
Customs said uncooked meat was often concealed in styrofoam boxes filled with vegetables and put in trucks intended for the transport of produce or furniture.
People found guilty of smuggling food on a commercial scale could face a fine of up to HK$2 million and seven years in jail.
Dr Chow Chor-yiu, a senior medical officer at the Centre for Food Safety, said meat or eggs imported illegally might be contaminated with E coli, a bacteria that can cause diarrhoea and vomiting, or even kill.
He added consumption of poorly transported food could also lead to food poisoning.
Lai said customs and the Centre for Food Safety would increase collaboration to crack down on illegal importation and smuggling of foods, as well as improve education for travellers.
He added that specialist sniffer dogs would also be employed at a variety of border checkpoints.
