The Food & Health Bureau and the Centre for Food Safety today launched a public consultation on legislative proposals relating to formula products and foods intended for children under the age of 36 months.
The bureau said the centre's finding of iodine-deficient infant formulae underlined the need to regulate such products urgently.
The legislative proposals include a Codex requirement on nutritional composition for infant formula before complementary feeding is introduced, and a nutrition labelling requirement for infant formula before complementary feeding is introduced, by listing the energy and 33 nutrients which are required to be present in infant formula as specified by Codex.
They also include nutrition labelling requirements for follow-up formula and foods intended for infants and young children under the age of 36 months by listing the energy and nutrients as specified by Codex.
The consultation will also consult the public on whether sodium content in non-cereal-based foods for infants and young children should be labelled.
The consultation document has been uploaded to the bureau’s
website and the centre’s
website. Two public consultation forums will be held on December 13 at Leighton Hill Community Hall and January 5 at Lai Chi Kok Government Offices.
People can send in their views by
email by January 21. Call 2867 5699 for enquiries.
