Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ1: Plastic disposable tableware
Following is a question by the Dr Hon Joseph Lee and a reply by the Secretary
for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today
(December 7):
Question:
It has been reported that in a recent sample test on plastic disposable
tableware conducted by the State General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine, about half of the samples were found to contain
excessive amount of recycled plastic that would release toxic and carcinogenic
chemicals when coming into contact with hot, fatty or acidic substances. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the places of origin of the plastic disposable tableware used in Hong
Kong, together with their respective market shares;
(b) of the details and specific results of the chemical tests conducted on the
30 collected samples of plastic disposable food containers by the Food and
Environmental Hygiene Department in the past three years, and whether it plans
to conduct more sample tests; and
(c) whether it will introduce legislation to stipulate that the package labels
of plastic disposable tableware products shall include information about the raw
materials used as well as the heat and acid resistance of the products, so that
the catering sector and consumers can make informed choices?
Reply:
Madam President�G
(a) The Government does not have such data in hand. However, the Customs and
Excise Department (C&ED) has enquired with the State General Administration of
Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine for specific information about
the substandard products, such as their origins and identities of Hong Kong
importers, in order to investigate whether such products have entered Hong Kong.
(b) Over the past three years, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD)
has taken 30 samples of disposable tableware, including plastic bottles of
drinks, cups, bowls, boxes, etc, for migration of chemical substance tests in
order to study whether the containers would affect food safety. All the test
results were satisfactory. FEHD will continue to take samples of disposable
plastic food containers for testing. The Government would continue to monitor
the situation closely in order to determine whether it is necessary to conduct
more sample tests.
(c) The FEHD has already commenced a study on disposable plastic food containers
with Consumer Council. The results are expected to be completed and published by
December 15, 2005. The Department would examine the study results in order to
determine whether further regulation is required.
As regards labelling, according to the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance and the
enforcement experience of the C&ED, for any consumer goods that pose potential
hazard to consumers and where addition of safety warning would help ensure that
the consumer goods are reasonably safe, the suppliers are required to add labels
in both Chinese and English to warn the consumers on the safe keeping, use,
consumption and handling of the consumer goods. For "disposable plastic
utensils", the supplier should add suitable labels to warn the consumers in
cases where the tableware would release toxic impurities when they come in
contact with food that is at high temperature, acidic or oily.
Ends/Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Issued at HKT 11:57
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