Latest News:  

English>>China Society

HK to lift controls on baby formula: expert

By Jin Zhu (China Daily)

08:31, July 15, 2013

A dairy industry expert said on Sunday that Hong Kong is likely to lift its monthslong restriction on baby formula exports in October as scheduled.

Wang Dingmian, former vice-chairman of the Guangdong Dairy Industry Association, said lifting the ban is in the interest of both Hong Kong businesses and Chinese mainland residents.

"Hong Kong probably will lift the limit soon, and one of the major reasons is that the ban has triggered concern from the mainland that it is a form of discrimination," Wang said.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's government also needs to consider the interests of the city's milk dealers, whose businesses have suffered over the past few months because of the limit, he said.

Ko Wing-man, Hong Kong's secretary for food and health, said on Saturday that the government will determine in October whether milk suppliers can ensure an adequate supply for Hong Kong residents.

Ko was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying that if milk suppliers can show they can meet the city's need, the Hong Kong government will abolish the restriction on milk powder purchases.

The restriction, which went into effect on March 1, bans people 16 and older from carrying more than two cans of infant milk formula, or 1.8 kilograms in total, out of Hong Kong without prior approval.

Offenders face a fine of up to HK$500,000 ($64,444) and two years in jail, it said.

The restriction came after many Hong Kong residents expressed outrage this year when mainland travelers bought up large amounts of baby formula, making supplies in the city scarce.

Hong Kong formula is sought after by mainland residents who have been worried about food safety since the melamine-tainted milk scandal in 2008. At least six children died from drinking powdered milk laced with melamine, an industrial chemical added to milk to give misleadingly high protein readings.

In the first two days of the ban in March, 45 people, including both Hong Kong and mainland residents and one foreign-passport holder, were detained, and more than 178 tins of milk powder were seized, according to the Hong Kong Security Bureau.

Hong Kong's milk powder supply has been stable since the government launched the baby formula export limit, Ko said.

The government has set up a committee to work with industry insiders and people in other related sectors to improve the local supply chain of milk powder products, he added.

Ko said in late March that the government will consider abolishing restrictions on milk powder exports only if milk suppliers could improve the resupply system, add reordering services at retail stores, allow the public to order formula in small pharmacies, add to supplies, and ensure sufficient manpower in the milk-powder industry to cope with the demand.

"The government's test will focus on how to ensure Hong Kong residents can buy such products whenever they need them, especially during peak demand, such as around Chinese New Year and Golden Week holidays, when many mainland shoppers stream into Hong Kong," said Wang, the dairy industry expert.

We Recommend:

To be cool in the summer: photo story

TCM exam in audition for dating with rich

Law demands visits to parents

China's weekly story
(2013 6.22-6.28)

Seasonal migration of left-behind children

A light dream of LED R&D engineer

Beauties under summer sun on Beijing street

Working in aircraft maintenance division

Future bodyguards receive tactical shooting training

Email|Print|Comments(Editor:WangLili、Chen Lidan)

Leave your comment0 comments

  1. Name

  

Selections for you


  1. Truck-bus crash kills 15 in Moscow

  2. China, Russia hold largest-ever joint naval drills

  3. Chinese female sailors

  4. People spend cool weekend at seashore

  5. TCM helps prevent diseases in summer

  6. Students from Asiana crash return home

  7. Melaka and George Town in Malaysia

  8. Mo Yan's work "Change" hits Croatia

  9. Model in see-through dress

  10. 10th China Changchun Int'l Automobile Expo

Most Popular

Opinions

  1. Chinese economy not to take hard landing
  2. RMB becomes more market-oriented: official
  3. High hopes for high-tech export reform
  4. China's automobile organization slams car limits
  5. Shortage of teachers hurts kindergartens
  6. Building on past successes
  7. Inflow of 'hot money' tackled, expert says
  8. Caution urged in seeking experts from abroad
  9. China didn't cause German solar firms' bankruptcy
  10. China, U.S. discuss cyber security

What’s happening in China

Typhoon Soulik makes landfall in SE China's Fujian

  1. Trapped Vietnamese tourists arrive in Xi'an safely
  2. Planned S China nuclear fuel project canceled
  3. Experts skeptical of Old Summer Palace repairs
  4. Over 100 tourists trapped in NW China downpour
  5. Hundreds stranded in Sichuan storms