Bottled oyster sauce sample not in compliance with nutrition label rule

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (December 6) announced that the sodium content of a bottled oyster sauce sample was found to be inconsistent with the declared content on its nutrition label. The CFS urged the trade to stop selling the affected batch of the product immediately.

Product details are as follows:

Product name: Organic Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce
Brand: Sauceco
Place of origin: Taiwan
Manufacturer: Sauceco Food Co Ltd
Distributor: Chopsticks Company Limited
Volume: 420 millilitres
Best before date: January 15, 2019

A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS collected the above-mentioned sample from a department store in Tsuen Wan for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that there was a discrepancy between the actual sodium content (4 300mg per 100 ml) and the declared content (204mg per 10ml, i.e. 2 040mg per 100ml) on its nutrition label.

"The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity, and the vendor has stopped sale and removed from shelves the affected batch of the product according to the CFS' instructions."

According to Section 61 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap 132), if any person falsely describes food or misleads as to the nature, substance or quality of the food on a label of the food sold by him or her, he or she shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment upon conviction.

The CFS will inform the trade, continue to follow up on the case and take appropriate action.

Ends/Wednesday, December 6, 2017