Hong Kong authorities deploy sniffer dogs to check for restricted foods being brought into the city. - Photo: Sam Tsang
HONG KONG: Hong Kong customs has warned cross-border shoppers against bringing uncooked food such as raw meat, poultry and eggs into the city, with authorities recording a 30 per cent increase in arrests related to such activities.
Jacqueline Lee Lai-yee, the Customs and Excise Department’s deputy head of land boundary command, urged residents and visitors to refrain from bringing in restricted food items ahead of the National Day holiday.
Cross-border grocery shopping in neighbouring Shenzhen has become popular since the border reopened last year, with residents capitalising on cheaper prices.
“Many of those who were arrested did not know the legal requirements for bringing in restricted food items,” she said on Wednesday (Sept 25).
“They thought they could use packaging methods, such as vacuum bags, foil or blanching meats [to comply with the law].”
The department said it had arrested 1,324 people at land-based border checkpoints between January and August of this year for bringing raw meat, poultry and egg products without the required hygiene certificates.
The figure exceeded the 1,019 arrests made last year following the border’s reopening in February, and represented a 30 per cent increase from that period.
Lee said half of the suspects had been homemakers or retirees, adding that 77 per cent of this year’s cases had involved Hong Kong residents.
A source said that it was common for residents living in Northern and Western New Territories to be linked to such activities, as it was more convenient for them to cross the nearby border.
“For those who live in Fanling and Sheung Shui, a bus ride can already take them to the Liantang checkpoint. Many people cross the border this way,” he said.
In Hong Kong, the import of “game, meat, poultry and eggs” requires a health certificate issued by the place of origin or written permission from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
Importing any such goods without the relevant permits can result in a fine of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,400) and six months imprisonment.
Lee said most of those arrested had been carrying raw meat, noting the number of people caught with such goods over the first eight months of this year had reached 817, exceeding the 467 recorded from February to December of 2023.
The number of people arrested for carrying uncertified eggs into the city stood at 374 so far this year, while the previous figure was 118.
But Lee said most of the cases had resulted from a lack of knowledge about the law.
“Very often, they were carrying that food without any cover. They are not trying to smuggle those foodstuffs or break the law. They thought their special packaging with foil or blanching the goods would be fine,” Lee said.
She added that raw meat, poultry and eggs were often found in plastic bags inside suitcases or backpacks, and had no temperature regulation devices.
Wesley Tang Yiu-hang, a chief health inspector with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, cautioned that improper storage of raw food could cause health hazards.
“In the process [of bringing food into the city], improper storage could cause microorganism growth, increasing food safety and health risks,” he said. - South China Morning Post
