Hong Kong importer of tainted hairy crabs not guilty as court blames mainland China supplier
Court accepts importer’s defence that it had made best efforts to ensure safety
A Hong Kong company that imported contaminated hairy crabs from the mainland last year cleared its name on Friday after a court found its supplier was to blame for traces of highly toxic chemicals found in the delicacy.
Top Fresh Food was found not guilty after trial on one summons of offering unfit food for sale.
What’s behind the ban on hairy crabs from the mainland and what Hongkongers can do about it
The case centred on crabs sourced from Jiangsu province and intercepted by local authorities at Man Kam To Food Control Office in the New Territories on September 21 last year.
The discovery of excessive levels of highly toxic dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls prompted mainland authorities to ban exports of hairy crabs to the city.
The supplier is fully responsible
Dioxins are persistent environmental pollutants that can cause reproductive and developmental problems as well as cancer, according to the Centre for Food Safety.
