Changes to Hong Kong's labelling laws

The Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) (Amendment) Regulation 2004 of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (‘the Amendment Regulation’) was enacted on 9 July 2004. The changes in the Amendment Regulation relate to:

• Labelling of allergenic substances
• Labelling of food additives
• Labelling of date format

Australian manufacturers and suppliers of pre-packaged food to Hong Kong SAR should familiarise themselves with these changes to ensure that their products meet these requirements by 9 July 2007 and should contact their local agent or distributor in this regard. As this will affect products with a shelf-life of more than 12 months, some retailers may require that products adhere to these regulations 12 months in advance.
 
To facilitate the changes as set out in the Amendment Regulation, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has prepared some labelling guidelines. www.fehd.gov.hk/events/labelling_guide/labelling_guide.htm.

For specific information relating to food laws in Hong Kong, please visit: www.fehd.gov.hk/safefood/foodlaw1.html.