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While there has been growing awareness for food safety among Hongkongers in recent years, little light has been shed on the same issue for our four-legged friends.
But there is some good news for animal lovers, with the government set to begin regular testing on pet food in an attempt to weed out dodgy products.
The results will be used to consider whether there is a need to further strengthen regulation.
However, lawmakers claim the scheme is taking too long to reach a conclusion, and are pressing authorities to start drafting legislation instead.
At a Legislative Council subcommittee on animal welfare and cruelty on Monday, principal assistant secretary for food and health Hinny Lam Suk-yee said the government would need two years to commission a testing scheme for pet food products, citing the need to invite tenders for the project.
Lam added there is currently a lack of scientific data to gauge the quality and safety of pet food, mostly imported from the US and the European Union, and the data collected will be helpful in making an informed decision on the next step of action.
But subcommittee vice-chairwoman Claudia Mo Man-ching questioned whether the government had already taken sides on the issue, and urged officials not to be complacent.
A submission by the government quoted studies by the Consumer Council in 2014 and 2015 saying “the quality and hygiene standards of pet food in Hong Kong are generally satisfactory”. It also said countries which export pet food already have stringent regulations in place.
The paper also revealed five complaints were received last year regarding pet food products, compared to just three cases between 2012 and 2014.
But senior government veterinary officer Michelle Yeung Lee explained the five complaints were “random” cases which were mostly redirected from the government’s 1823 one-stop hotline service, rather than targeting a specific incident.
Statistics suggest one in 10 households in the city own a dog or cat.
Of the 415,100 domesticated cats and dogs, 70 per cent – or around 300,000 – feed on commercial pet food.
(SCMP)
