Monthly Report on Results of Compliance Test
under Nutrition Labelling Scheme
(for the month of January and February 2012)
The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Amendment: Requirements for Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claim) Regulation 2008 (the Amendment Regulation) came into effect on 1 July 2010. The Amendment Regulation requires all applicable prepackaged foods to list out the content of energy plus seven core nutrients, namely, carbohydrates, protein, total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugars (commonly known as "1 + 7"), as well as regulates nutrition claims. Since 1 July 2010, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) has been taking about 500 prepackaged food samples for compliance test under Nutrition Labelling Scheme each year. From 29 March 2012 onwards, a monthly report will be published in the last week of the month on the CFS website, summarizing compliance test results of the previous month including details of the food samples with discrepancies in nutrient values.
Compliance Test Results *
| Month / Year | No. of food samples tested | No. of non-compliant samples# |
|---|---|---|
| January 2012 | 85 | 2 |
| February 2012 | 25 | 3 |
*Tests may cover "1+7" or any combination of these core nutrients
# One or more discrepancies between the declared nutrient values and test results were detected
Details of non-compliant samples
| Month | Nature / Name of sample | Testing parameter | Declared value on nutrition label | Testing result(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January |
1. Beancurd/ 新月牌 , 五香豆乾 200g |
1 + 7 |
|
(Values for: Trans fat, Protein and Sugars were found satisfactory) |
| 2. Jam/ Mrs. Rogers, Strawberry Jam 290g | Total Fat | 0.2g/100g | 0.45g/100g | |
| February | 1.Instant noodle/ 一度贊 - 紅燒牛肉麵 -200g | Sodium | 1269mg/200g | 1500mg/100g |
| 2.Sauces/ Kuhne, Sweet Bavarian Mustard 250mL | Sodium | 34mg/100mL | 54mg/100mL | |
| 3.Candies/ Storck, Werther's Original Cream toffees 200g | Sodium | 100mg/100g | 250mg/100g |
Tolerance Limits for Declaration of Energy Level or Nutrient Content on Nutrition Label
| Energy/Nutrients | Tolerance Limits |
|---|---|
| Energy, Total fat, Saturated fatty acids, Trans fatty acids, Cholesterol, Sodium, Sugars | ≤120% declared value |
| Protein, Polyunsaturated fatty acids, Monounsaturated fatty acids, Carbohydrates, Starch, Dietary fibre, Soluble fibre, Insoluble fibre, individual component of fibre | ≥ 80% declared value |
| Vitamins and minerals (other than Vitamin A, Vitamin D and added vitamins and minerals) | ≥ 80% declared value |
| Vitamin A and Vitamin D (including added ones) | 80% - 180% declared value |
| Added vitamins and minerals (other than Vitamin A and Vitamin D) | ≥ declared value |
Source: Technical Guidance Notes on Nutrition Labelling and Nutrition Claims (see table 3)
http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/food_leg/files/nl_technical_guidance_e.pdf
Remarks: The Centre for Food Safety has taken follow-up action on the non-compliant food products, which include issuing enquiry letter and warning letter to the traders concerned for rectification. Traders who fail to rectify the irregularities within the period specified will be prosecuted.