Amendments to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations

Hong Kong, China notified in G/SPS/N/HKG/45 dated 11 December 2020 a consultation document on the Proposed Amendments to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap. 132AF, Laws of Hong Kong), setting out updated standards for various harmful substances in food.  The proposed amendments were incorporated in the Harmful Substances in Food (Amendment) Regulation 2021.  To align with the updated standards, the Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) Regulation 2021 (Cap. 132W, Laws of Hong Kong) was also made to provide for the marking and labelling requirement for prepackaged foods containing hydrogenated oil.    The two Amendment Regulations were gazetted on 11 June 2021 and approved by the Legislative Council on 14 July 2021.  This addendum notifies that, upon the end of the grace periods provided for in the Amendment Regulations, the provisions relating to hydrogenated oil and the related marking and labelling requirement will enter into force on 1 December 2023, and the rest will come into operation on 1 June 2023.