Samples are back at Hong Kong Food Expo amid concerns that Japanese imports may be unpalatable for some

Food sampling will be allowed at next week’s Hong Kong Food Expo for the first time since Covid-19 broke out, but Japan’s plan to discharge treated nuclear waste water into the sea may make the country’s offerings unpalatable. Japanese food importers told the Post at the expo’s preview on Tuesday that Hongkongers had become more cautious about the origins of their food in recent months. The event is set to take place from August 17 to 21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Julia Chu, general manager of Murray Rice, said many customers had raised questions about the origins of Japanese rice and whether the company’s products would be affected by the planned waste water discharge. The company is launching a new Japanese rice gift set which includes rice from nine different prefectures, including Miyagi, Niigata and Nagano, at HK$480 (US$61.50). Wu said she had been planning the product for about a year and was caught off guard when the government announced the list of 10 banned prefectures. “Some loyal customers said they are not afraid and will continue to eat Japanese rice,” Wu said. “However, I believe Hongkongers will consume more and more Japanese rice. The trend shows even if fewer people are consuming rice, the sales of Japanese rice have been increasing. “Rice will be less affected than seafood, although we need high-quality water for irrigation. Going forward, I plan to travel to the different prefectures to learn more about their irrigation system and how the water quality will be affected.” Hong Kong Food Expo visitors queue for days to get big prizes and bargains Sales manager Kda Chan said that if Hong Kong went ahead with the ban, the company might try to repackage its products into a smaller gift set of six packs, selling at HK$320. The Hong Kong government has said it would immediately ban food imports from Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama prefectures if Japan released the treated nuclear waste water. Tokyo is expected to begin the process in late August but has yet to set a specific start date. In a Monday blog post, environment minister Tse Chin-wan accused Japan of “dumping trash on its neighbours’ doorsteps” with its discharge plan. Dennis Wu, managing director of Japanese food importer Aji-No-Chinmi, said the government had been tightening testing on his goods since May, especially those from the 10 prefectures. His company imports snacks, noodles, milk and other beverages from all over Japan. Japan ‘dumping trash on neighbours’ doorsteps’ with discharge plan: Hong Kong official “We trust the Hong Kong government effectively implements checks and balances. We hope that through this fair, we can take the lead in rebuilding Hongkongers’ confidence in Japanese imports and explain to them that the food is safe,” he said. Sophia Chong Suk-fan, deputy executive director of organiser the Trade Development Council, said it would do its best to ensure food safety. “We have made it clear to exhibitors that they have to fulfil food and import regulations, which are part of our guidelines. As organisers, we will also remind them to follow the rules so customers can have confidence that we have these checks in place,” Chong said. Visitors will be offered samples again for the first time in four years. More than 430,000 people attended the Food Expo last year, but tasting was banned inside the venue because of Covid-19 restrictions. Wu of Aji-No-Chinmi said he hoped his sales would increase by 15 to 20 per cent this year because visitors can now sample food. As the first edition of the event since restriction-free cross-border travel was restored in February, Chong said she hoped visitor numbers this year would rise by 10 per cent, similar to the turnout for the Hong Kong Book Fair in July. The expo will run concurrently with a beauty and home appliance fair from August 17 to 21, while a tea fair and a traditional Chinese medicine fair will be held from August 17 to 19. More than 1,700 exhibitors are expected to take part in all five fairs. Admission to all three fairs costs HK$30, while early bird and night-owl tickets at HK$10 are available for those entering before noon and after 6pm, respectively. Doors are open from 10am to 10pm from August 17 to August 20 and from 10am to 6pm on August 21.