There is strong public support for the proposed nutrition labelling scheme, the Food & Health Bureau says, adding the number of food products with nutrition claims that might not come to Hong Kong as a result of the scheme will be less than the trade is asserting.

The bureau said today the scheme has been carefully formulated to balance the need to assist consumers in making food choices, and the need to help maintain a diversity in food choices.

The trade estimated that if food products with nutrition claims were not eligible for small-volume exemption, 2.5% of the pre-packaged food imported to Hong Kong might be withdrawn from the local market. However, the bureau said change in product variety is normal practice, with an average product turnover rate of about 14% in the market.

According to a Government public opinion survey, 93% of the 860 respondents agreed that prepackaged food with nutrition claims should list out all the nutrition information to support the claim. About 81% considered it worthwhile to implement the nutrition-labelling scheme even if it would result in a reduction in food choice.

More than 90% of the respondents took the view that it was reasonable to require all prepackaged food with claims, regardless of sales volume, to set out the nutritional information. A large number of respondents did not agree with a relaxation for food products with an annual sales volume of 30,000 or below.