Post probe of food safety, quality and value has surprising results
The government is to slash the maximum level of lead allowed in food after a Sunday Morning Post investigation found Hong Kong's standard is 60 times that recommended by the World Health Organisation.
As part of our investigation, we asked a laboratory to test for heavy metals, pesticide residue and nutritional value in several food items - apples, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and pork - bought from various supermarkets and a wet market.
The items included organic and non-organic produce.
The tests exploded the commonly held myth that Hong Kong's vegetables are riddled with heavy metals and pesticides. Traces of the latter were not found on any of the produce; low levels of heavy metals were found in just three items.
They also showed that organic produce, while much more expensive than non-organic produce, is not proportionally more nutritious - and in some cases is less nutritious.
