Customs receives reports century-old Liu Ma Kee sources bean curd from outside Hong Kong
- Family-run business admits it sources tofu from mainland, explaining manufacturing it locally was too difficult
A Hong Kong company that has been selling fermented bean curd for nearly 120 years has admitted it has been importing its tofu from mainland China for decades, shocking consumers and prompting complaints to customs authorities.
Jay Liu Fong-yip, a grandson of the family running Liu Ma Kee, also apologised to health authorities on Monday for “overreacting” to recent revelations from the Centre for Food Safety, which found unsatisfactory levels of bacteria in the famous local brand’s products.
Speaking for the family business, Liu admitted for the first time that the white fermented bean curd had not been manufactured by Liu Ma Kee for the past 30 years but rather imported from the mainland.
“The white fermented bean curd was not manufactured by Liu Ma Kee, the authorities told the truth,” he told a radio programme. “It was imported from another manufacturer.”
The Customs and Excise Department told the Post it received reports about the place of origin of Liu Ma Kee’s products and was following up.