Food Safety Focus (174th Issue, January 2021) – Food Incident Highlight

Proposed Amendments to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations in Terms of Mycotoxins and Other Contaminants in Food

In order to strengthen the regulation of harmful substances in food, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has proposed to tighten up the maximum levels (MLs) for three types of fungal toxins, namely aflatoxins, deoxynivalenol and patulin, in food. At the same time, the MLs of five types of other contaminants, including benzo(a)pyrene, glycidyl fatty acid esters, melamine, 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol and erucic acid, are proposed to be set for edible fats and oils, condiments or formula products intended for infants. Furthermore, partially hydrogenated oils, which are the main source of industrially-produced trans fatty acids that contribute to heart diseases, will be prohibited in food under the proposals, making reference to the recommendations by the World Health Organization's action package and the local Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong.

The public is encouraged to visit the dedicated webpage and to offer comments on the proposals during the consultation period which ends on 15 March 2021.