Hong Kong Customs on Wednesday urged inbound travelers not to carry fresh meat, uncooked eggs and other restricted foods without certificates, as illegal food importation cases surge.
The department said it will step up public education about food importation regulations and crack down on smugglers at border checkpoints during the upcoming National Day Golden Week starting Oct 1.
At a joint press conference on Wednesday, Jacqueline Lee Lai-yee, deputy head of Land Boundary Command of the Customs emphasized that between January and August, Customs logged 1,324 cases of illegal food imports, which surpassed the 1,019 cases recorded in 2023.
Lee noted that uncooked meat is the most common illegal food they have seized, accounting for over 60 percent of the total seizures, followed by raw eggs and poultry, which account for 28 and 10 percent, respectively.
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Smugglers who bring into Hong Kong any fresh or frozen meat and poultry, as well as eggs that are not fully cooked, without official health certificates issued at the place of origin or prior written permission granted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government could face a fine of HK$50,000 ($6,420) and six months’ imprisonment.
Lee said many people buy fresh food when they travel to the Chinese mainland and bring it back to Hong Kong, without realizing that this was in breach of the law. Among the violators, half of them were retirees and housewives, and 77 percent were Hong Kong residents, she added.
The restricted food is usually put in inappropriate packaging such as suitcases, reusable bags, trollies and shoulder bags, which may increase the risk of bacterial growth and food safety hazards, Lee said.
The misunderstanding of laws and the price difference are major reasons behind the cross-boundary carrying of meat and eggs, Lee noted.
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“Some people believe that it is okay to bring raw meat in if they are briefly scalded with boiled water or sealed in vacuum bags, but it’s wrong,” Lee said.
Customs said it will step up enforcement action and distribute warning leaflets at border control points during the upcoming National Day Golden Week, as well as enhancing education in the community in collaboration with district councils.
Speaking at the same event, Lau Wing-tim, Field Officer I of the Quarantine Detector Dog Unit, said the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department set up a quarantine detector dog unit in 2008 to better combat illegal importation of raw meat and dairy products. The unit has seven Labradors to aid officers at border checkpoints and their success rate surpasses 95 percent, Lau said.
The Centre for Food Safety stressed that raw food under improper storage conditions could see a substantial risk of microbial growth.
Officials warned that people should not break laws for temporary convenience, and such illegal importation could also pose greater threats for food safety and personal health.
