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Based on what considerations CFS lifted the import suspension on edible fats and oils of animal or plant origins produced in Taiwan into Hong Kong?

After lifting the import suspension on edible fats and oils of animal or plant origins produced in Taiwan into Hong Kong, what would CFS do to safeguard the safety of edible fats and oils imported from Taiwan?

Does the lifting of the import suspension on edible fats and oils of animal or plant origins produced in Taiwan include the five companies listed in the three food safety orders?

Taiwan authorities detected "substandard lard" and the use of it in the production of food for sale in Taiwan market. According to the existing information from the Taiwan authorities, various lard/lard products produced on or after 1 March 2014 by Chang Guann Co., Ltd (Chang Guann) in Taiwan were involved.

According to the existing information from the Taiwan authorities, the incident may involve a wide spectrum of food trade and food. The Taiwan authorities had released a list of affected products in their website. Relevant information had been uploaded onto the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) website. The public may pay attention to the information published on the website to keep update to the incident.

In Hong Kong, the Maxim's Cakes had used the incriminated lard 「全統香豬油」 produced by the Chang Guann Co., Ltd in making its pineapple buns. The vendor concerned had taken the affected product off the shelves and stopped using the incriminated lard. Besides, two kinds of products manufactured by Wei Chuan Foods Corporation with substandard lard had been exported to Hong Kong. The CFS has alerted the trade to stop sale of these products and issued a food alert on the products.

The incident of "sub-standard lard" from Taiwan was first reported by Taiwan authorities on 4 September 2014. On 11 September 2014, the Taiwan authorities announced that in addition to the initially affected lard "全統香豬油(合將香豬油)", another 24 lard/lard products produced by CHANG GUANN Co. Ltd in Taiwan might have been contaminated. These products have been impounded by the Taiwan authorities. In addition, the risk assessment from the CFS showed that the food safety risk might be increased if consuming the affected lard/lard products and the food products made with the affected lard/lard products. In the light of the above reasons and in order to protect public health, the Food Safety Order covers the lard/lard products produced by Chang Guann Co. Ltd in Taiwan and all food products made with the affected lard/lard products in Hong Kong and Taiwan on or after 1 March 2014.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has not established standard of B[a]P in edible oil. The standard of B[a]P in edible oil in Mainland China was 10 μg /kg for edible oil.

In 2005, the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) concluded that the estimated intakes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including B[a]P were of low concern for human health. In order to protect public health and address public concerns, the CFS has set an action level of 10μg/kg for B[a]P in edible oil, which is in line with the mainland China standard. The action level was endorsed by the Expert Committee on Food Safety (Expert Committee).

The ultimate goal for setting an action level is to protect public health. The Expert Committee noted that based on local consumption data, even in the unlikely event that all edible oil consumed by a person is contaminated with 10μg/kg of B[a]P (the maximum limit established in the mainland China ), the derived Margin of Exposure (MOE) will be greater than 10,000, indicating the estimated intake of B[a]P is of low concern for human health. In addition, since mainland China is our main food supplier, setting the same action level as Mainland at 10 μg/kg can also avoid unnecessary trade barrier.

Since oils can be converted to fat by various chemical methods (e.g. hydrogenation), the action level of B[a]P on edible oils can also be applied to fat.

If an edible oil sample is found to contain B[a]P at level equal or greater than 20μg/kg, the derived MOE will be lower than 10,000, indicating a public health concern. As such, CFS would take enforcement action in accordance with Section 54¹ of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), and initiate a mandatory recall of the edible oil concerned. If an edible oil sample is found to contain B[a]P at level greater than 10μg/kg but lower than 20μg/kg, the derived MOE will be higher than 10,000, indicating that the public health concern is low. Nevertheless, under such scenario, CFS may still take enforcement action in accordance with Section 52² of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132).

¹ Section 54 of the Ordinance also stipulates that all food (including cooking oil) for sale must be fit for human consumption.

² Section 52 of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) provides that if any person sells to the prejudice of a purchaser any food which is not of the nature, or not of the substance, or not of the quality, of the food demanded by the purchaser, he shall be guilty of an offence.

Currently, B[a]P is the only PAH classified as "carcinogenic to human" (i.e. Group 1 agent) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization. The Codex Alimentarius Commission has not established any standard for PAHs including B[a]P in food. It is noted that the European Commission, Korea and mainland China have established maximum level for B[a]P in edible oil while only the European Commission has set maximum level for other PAHs in food. The CFS will continue to monitor the international development.

There is no agreed definition of "gutter oil". Generally, it refers to discarded oil recovered from gutters and ditches.

Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) is a kind of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are ubiquitous in the environment as contaminants, being present in air, soil, water and food.

No. The presence of B[a]P in oil can be due to many different factors. Plant materials for oil production can be contaminated through deposits from air. The level of B[a]P in these materials can also increase through drying process using direct application of combustion gases. Furthermore, B[a]P level in oil may increase upon repeated use.

B[a]P is toxic to genes and can cause cancer in human. B[a]P is classified as "carcinogenic to human" (i.e. Group 1 agent) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization in 2009. Therefore, a safety reference value cannot be determined for B[a]P. To reduce the health risk associated with B[a]P, efforts should be made to minimise exposure to B[a]P as far as practicable.

Public should maintain a balanced and varied diet, which includes a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Do not use reused cooking oil; avoid overindulgence in barbecued meat, particularly charcoal grilled meat and smoked meat/fish; and remove charred parts of food. Public may also reduce consumption of fats and oils to reduce B[a]P exposure.

CFS has been maintaining close contact with the Taiwan authority since the Taiwan "substandard fats and oils" incident in 2014. Factors taken into account include inspection findings of the edible fats and oils industry, control and improvement measures implemented and surveillance results of all edible fats and oils. Having considered all relevant factors and information provided by the Taiwan authority, CFS has made the assessment and decided to lift the import suspension on edible fats and oils of animal or plant origins produced in Taiwan with immediate effect.

After lifting the import suspension on edible fats and oils of animal or plant origins produced in Taiwan, for the sake of prudence, CFS will enhance surveillance of edible fats and oils from Taiwan at import and retail levels to safeguard local food safety. The surveillance strategy would be reviewed from time to time and adjusted according to the test results.

The three food safety orders are still in force. As such, the import into Hong Kong of all edible oils of animal or plant origins produced from the five companies listed in the three food safety orders, namely, Chang Guann, Cheng I, Ting Hsin, Beei Hae and Shyeh Chyng, are still banned. Based on information provided by Taiwan authority, the five above named companies have ceased or not resumed operation. CFS will continue to maintain close contact with the Taiwan authority so as to review and adjust the strategy, and devise appropriate control actions to safeguard food safety and public health in a timely manner.