A public consultation paper has been released seeking views on the regulation of health products' claims.

Deputy Director of Health Dr Leung Ting-hung said the paper sets out the proposed regulation on a list of health claims in orally consumed products.

He said there has been a growing number of food products claiming specific beneficial health effects on the local market in recent years.

"There have been complaints from consumers against misleading or exaggerated claims of these products which are usually labelled as 'health food'," he said.

"As many of these products are advertised with claims not specified in the existing legislation, there are calls from the public that the existing legislations on this aspect should be reviewed and amended with a view to better regulating irresponsible health claims for the sake of public health."

Misleading or exaggerated claims can be broadly grouped into two categories namely, claims relating to body function which may delay people from seeking proper medical advice and treatment, and exaggerated or misleading health related claims.

Examples of these claims include regulation of blood pressure, regulation of blood lipid, slimming, weight reduction, and detoxification.

Expert committee set up

Dr Leung said to address the issue, the Government proposed last year to include in the Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance a list of prohibited claims as a new schedule to address the misleading information and undesirable claims of orally consumed products.

An expert committee consisting of representatives from the Consumer Council, Chinese medicine practitioners, medical practitioners, pharmacists and a nutritionist was subsequently set up to study and recommend a list of health claims to be prohibited in orally consumed products.

The committee recommended that nine groups of misleading and undesirable health claims, in particular those claims relating to body functions which may delay people from seeking proper medical advice and management, should be prohibited and be included as a schedule in the ordinance.

Dr Leung said regulation of these claims requires consensus in the community and there is a need to strike a balance between protection of public health and freedom of choice by consumers.

"In this regard, views on the document from all sectors of the community are important to help us fine-tune the regulatory framework," Dr Leung said.

Forward your opinion

To gauge opinion from different sectors of the community, three open forums will be held on October 20, 24 and 27 from 3pm to 4.30pm at MacLehose Dental Centre, 286 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai.

Due to limited seating capacity, prior registration is required. Interested parties are advised to call 2319 2920 for reservations.

Copies of the consultation paper are available at all District Offices and can be downloaded from the websites of the Health, Welfare & Food Bureau and Department of Health.

Views and comments should be sent on or before November 15 by post (Secretariat, Consultation on Regulation of Health Claims, 3/F Public Health Laboratory Centre, 382 Nam Cheong Street, Kowloon); by fax to 2834 5117; or by e-mail to healthclaims@dh.gov.hk.

The nine groups of health claims proposed to be prohibited are:

* Regulation of body sugar or glucose including alteration of functions of pancreas;

* Regulation of blood pressure;

* Regulation of blood lipid or cholesterol;

* Prevention, elimination or treatment of breast lumps;

* Regulation of function of the genitourinary system, including improvement of symptoms of genitourinary problems;

* Regulation of the endocrine system including maintenance or alteration of hormonal secretions;

* Claims relating to slimming or fat reduction of the body including fat burning, eliminating fat, controlling appetite, absorbing fat and eliminating fluid retention;

* Regulation of body immune system against diseases including cancers, chronic diseases and infection; or alteration of effects of treatment e.g. chemotherapy and radiotherapy; and,

* Promotion of detoxification.