Inspection of aquatic products imported from Japan

Ensuring the safety of imported japanese aquatic products: a comprehensive inspection process

In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.

For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.

As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.

From noon on April 30 to noon today (May 2), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 426 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category, in the past two days. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 100 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website

(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).

From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 47 640 samples of food imported from Japan (including 31 075 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 12 484 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

Source: AI-generated images

Take control of your health: join the fight against high blood pressure on world hypertension day

The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food:

In support of World Hypertension Day, held annually on May 17, the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food today (May 17) urged the public to avoid excessive salt intake so as to lower the risk of developing hypertension.

Excessive dietary salt (sodium) intake is a major cause of hypertension. Dubbed "the silent killer", hypertension that does not receive early treatment can lead to serious diseases such as heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, etc. According to the Report of Population Health Survey (PHS) 2020-2022 published by the Department of Health, local persons aged 15 to 84 had an average daily salt intake of 8.4grams (about 3400 milligrams of sodium), exceeding the daily limit as recommended by the World Health Organization by over 70 per cent. In addition, one in every four persons (29.5 per cent) among the said age group had hypertension. Among those with hypertension, more than 40 per cent were not aware of having hypertension until attending the PHS health examination.

Reducing one's salt intake helps lower the risk of developing hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. According to studies conducted by the Centre for Food Safety, nearly 70per cent of sodium intake by local adults comes from condiments and sauces, soup, and processed and cured meat. Reducing the amount of salt intake is not difficult. By gradually cutting back on sodium in one's daily diet, taste buds will become accustomed to the milder taste. Some feasible ways to reduce salt intake are as follows:

When dining out, request sauces to be served separately from the food, choose a reduced salt option, or dishes with no or less sauce;

Reduce the consumption of processed foods such as sausage, ham and bacon etc;

Use fresh foods when cooking at home with natural spices or fruits, such as ginger, green onion, garlic, herbs, chili, turmeric, black pepper, lemon juice, etc as natural seasonings to enhance the flavour of dishes and reduce sodium intake;

When buying prepackaged food products, check for the sodium content on the food nutrition labels and choose less salt (sodium) foods. For example, the sodium content of tuna in mineral water is less than that of tuna in brine or seasoned tuna

More information on salt and sugar reduction is available on the Facebook page of Hong Kong's Action on Salt and Sugar Reduction.

Source: AI-generated images