. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/HKG/11
20 October 2000
(00-4365)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  HONG KONG, CHINA
If applicable, name of local government involved:           
2. Agency responsible:  Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Government of
the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSARG)
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Prepackaged food
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Consultation Paper on Proposed
Amendments to Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations, Chapter 132,
Laws of Hong Kong (6 pages) (Available in English)
5. Description of content:  The HKSARG is seeking views on proposed amendments to the
Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations.  The amendment proposal would
have the following impacts on the labelling requirements of prepackaged food:
(1) Food labels should declare the presence of 8 types of allergy causing substance
recommended by the Codex;
(2) Food labels should declare both the functional class and the full name of the food
additives used (identification number under the International Numbering System for Food
Additives can be used as a substitute to its full name);
(3) The existing restriction that the durability period must be market in date, followed
by month, followed by year should be lifted, but the exact sequence used should be clearlydeclared;  and
(4) Alcoholic drinks should comply with all food labelling requirements except that:
(a) wines, fruit wines and drinks with alcoholic strength exceeding 10 per cent 
are exempted from labelling of "best before date", and
(b) all alcoholic drinks do not have to label their lists of ingredients.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [     ] animal health,  [     ] plant protection,
[    ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [     ] protect territory from
other damage from pests   To update the legislative requirements on labelling of
prepackaged food in the light of international development and to strengthen consumer
protection.G/SPS/N/HKG/11
Page 2
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  The proposals are based primarily on the
Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (Codex Stan 1-
1985(Rev.1999)).  In particular, our proposal includes no requirement which is morestringent than recommendations in the Codex General Standards.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Same as item 4.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  Early 2001
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  Late 2002/early 2003
11. Final date for comments:  15 December 2000
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [     ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:  Same as item 12
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [     ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
43th Floor, Queensway Government Offices
66 Queensway
Hong Kong, China
Fax:  (852) 2521 4784E-mail:  shi_fl@fehd.gov.hk
URL:  http://www.info.g ov.hk/fehd/indexe.html