Hong Kong Stevia Industry Discusses Recall

Hong Kong Stevia Industry Discusses Recall

HONG KONG--Officials from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department(FEHD) and representatives from the Hong Kong Stevioside Association met on March 23 to discuss the definition of artificial sweeteners and related regulatory provisions. The meeting was called after a recall of foods containingstevioside--an unapproved food additive in China--was issued earlier in the month. An updated list of recalled products is posted on the FEHD Web site(www.info.gov.hk/fehd).

According to FEHD, the association representatives indicated that they understood the relevant legal requirements. "The association's representatives told us at the meeting that as responsible traders, they had recalled from their distributors products which contained stevioside in the past few days and had undertaken to make further arrangements for consumer level recall," an FEHD spokesman stated in a department press release. The spokesman added that the joint WHO/FAO (World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization) Expert Committee on Food Additives of the United Nations, which is referenced for creating Hong Kong food standards, has not reached a conclusion regarding the safety of stevioside.

Meanwhile, FEHD continues to inspect food outlets in search of recalled products. "As the use of some food additives is permitted in their place of origin but not in Hong Kong, we will conduct targeted surveillance of those popular food products that may contain such additives," the spokesman said.