More Hong Kong residents turning to organic food amid melamine scare
By Channel NewsAsia's Hong Kong Correspondent Leslie Tang | Posted: 14 November 2008 0027 hrs

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HONG KONG: Two more children in Hong Kong have developed kidney stones after eating China-made products that were tainted with melamine.

The city also found unsafe levels of melamine in China-made fish feed that were used at a local farm, after a similar scare over eggs.

All this has proven to be a boom for sales of organic food. Despite tightening budgets, when it comes to high-end grocery shopping, people in Hong Kong are still willing to dish out the extra cash.

One said: "I'm always willing to pay a little more for organic food because I think it's better for the earth, not just for people."

"I don't want to take any chances," another added.

Organic products are much pricier than regular produce because no artificial additives and less chemicals are used in their processing.

Hong Kong's largest organic food store, Three Sixty, has seen a jump in sales.

Doreen Hong, Consumer Communications Manager, Three Sixty, said: "People are focusing more on the basic needs. How do they purchase for their family? What should they do?

"And instead of spending lots of money dining out extravagantly, they may be focused on buying good quality, wholesome, nutritious and delicious food."

The store also saw a surge in demand for organic milk and eggs after the industrial chemical melamine was found in those products from the mainland.

For those worried about food contaminated by chemicals, it seems organic is the way to go. But the problem is, there is currently no across-the-board certification law in Hong Kong.

Organic labelling is done on a voluntary basis and stores rely on food certification from the country of origin for imported goods.

The Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre said having so many different labels is confusing for consumers and a lot of them need more assurances on the safety of organic products.

Jonathan Wong, director, Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre, said: "If they bought the tomato from Malaysia and say that this is organic, and imported to Hong Kong without any labelling besides saying that it is organic, there's no way you can prove it unless you go back to their farm or go back to their production line."

The centre is calling on the government to establish a certification law as soon as possible.


- CNA/so