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Row over Liu Ma Kee’s use of imported bean curd exposes legal loophole: Hong Kong experts
- Lawyers call for review of city’s ‘outdated’ food safety laws and question loose enforcement for some in-house manufactured food items
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![Musician Jay Liu Fong-yip (left) is the fourth generation of the family running Liu Ma Kee. Photo: Xiaomei Chen](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/23/b40d410b-459d-471c-8051-795d60c96894_f05d8d58.jpg?itok=VbQ258jm&v=1721695769)
A row over the use of imported fermented bean curd for three decades by a 119-year-old Hong Kong food producer has exposed a safety regulation loophole, experts have said.
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Lawyers have now called for a review of the city’s “outdated” food safety rules after products made by long-established family firm Liu Ma Kee using bean curd from mainland China were found to have high levels of Bacillus cereus, which can cause vomiting and diarrhoea.
Hong Kong customs said it had already received complaints about the place of origin of the tofu and that containers were not required to show where the product came from under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance.
Nonetheless, officials insisted they had placed Liu Ma Kee products under scrutiny.
The Centre for Food Safety, the Customs and Excise Department and the Consumer Council are responsible for food standards in Hong Kong.
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