HK limits visitors' buying of infant formula
Source: Agencies |
00:00 UTC+8 February 2, 2013
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Print Edition
Print Edition
HONG Kong announced measures yesterday to curb the amount of baby formula that mainland visitors are buying as anger grows at shortages in the city's stores.
Chief among the measures is a plan to change the law to restrict the amount of baby formula that individuals can take out of the city.
Food and Health Secretary Ko Wing-man said legislation would be amended to prohibit taking more than 1.8 kilograms of formula out of Hong Kong - that's about two cans of formula.
People from Chinese mainland have increasingly looked overseas for baby formula after several tainted-formula scandals. In 2008, tainted formula killed six babies and sickened 300,000 infants in China. Last summer, Yili Industrial Group recalled infant formula because of "unusual" levels of mercury. At about the same time, Hunan Ava Dairy Industry Co said it found a cancer-causing toxin linked to mildewed cattle feed in five batches of baby formula.
The law change is aimed at so-called parallel traders from the mainland, who have been flooding into Hong Kong to buy up consumer goods that also include cosmetics, toiletries and electronics for resale back home. Parallel trading is frowned upon by Hong Kongers but is not illegal.
"We feel that the formula supply chain being out-of-order is directly related to parallel trading," Ko said. "The large demand from parallel traders will lead to shortages of formula at retail outlets on numerous occasions," so the government will change export rules to clamp down on the traders, he said.
Officials also announced other measures including a hotline that parents can call to order formula if stores have run out. They will also step up coordination with their mainland counterparts at border checkpoints to increase scrutiny of travelers and tighten up luggage limits on the main rail line that runs to the border.
Traders wheeling bulky bags or boxes have become a common sight at train stations near Hong Kong's border with the mainland. Residents complain that their oversized luggage clogs up stations.
Hong Kong has become a magnet for mainland visitors, with about 35 million arriving last year - about five times the city's population. They're drawn by tax free shopping, a reputation for quality products and the strength of the yuan against the Hong Kong dollar.
Chief among the measures is a plan to change the law to restrict the amount of baby formula that individuals can take out of the city.
Food and Health Secretary Ko Wing-man said legislation would be amended to prohibit taking more than 1.8 kilograms of formula out of Hong Kong - that's about two cans of formula.
People from Chinese mainland have increasingly looked overseas for baby formula after several tainted-formula scandals. In 2008, tainted formula killed six babies and sickened 300,000 infants in China. Last summer, Yili Industrial Group recalled infant formula because of "unusual" levels of mercury. At about the same time, Hunan Ava Dairy Industry Co said it found a cancer-causing toxin linked to mildewed cattle feed in five batches of baby formula.
The law change is aimed at so-called parallel traders from the mainland, who have been flooding into Hong Kong to buy up consumer goods that also include cosmetics, toiletries and electronics for resale back home. Parallel trading is frowned upon by Hong Kongers but is not illegal.
"We feel that the formula supply chain being out-of-order is directly related to parallel trading," Ko said. "The large demand from parallel traders will lead to shortages of formula at retail outlets on numerous occasions," so the government will change export rules to clamp down on the traders, he said.
Officials also announced other measures including a hotline that parents can call to order formula if stores have run out. They will also step up coordination with their mainland counterparts at border checkpoints to increase scrutiny of travelers and tighten up luggage limits on the main rail line that runs to the border.
Traders wheeling bulky bags or boxes have become a common sight at train stations near Hong Kong's border with the mainland. Residents complain that their oversized luggage clogs up stations.
Hong Kong has become a magnet for mainland visitors, with about 35 million arriving last year - about five times the city's population. They're drawn by tax free shopping, a reputation for quality products and the strength of the yuan against the Hong Kong dollar.
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