Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog finds metal contaminants in more than 60 per cent of salt tested from city’s shelves
- One Himalayan rock salt tested, which sells for HK$440 a pack, was found to have lead content exceeding international standards
- Microplastics were also found in sea salt samples for the first time, according to Consumer Council
More than 60 per cent of edible salt samples tested by Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog were found to contain metallic contaminants, with one containing chemicals that can cause cancer, according to the latest report from the body.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the Consumer Council said they conducted safety tests on 39 samples of pre-packaged edible salt found in the city, including sea salt, rock salt, table salt, iodised salt, lake salt and smoked salt. The prices of each package ranged from HK$2.6 to HK$440.
Most were found to contain additives, while some featured microplastics or even potentially harmful contaminants.
Twenty-five samples were found to contain at least one metallic contaminant, including two rock salt brands found to have metals exceeding the international standards.
One of them was the priciest salt tested – the HK$440 per pack Himalayan rock salt, which was found to contain lead content amounting to 3 milligrams per kilogram.
