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Trade and Industry Department The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Brand Hong Kong - Asia world city
MY COLOUR

Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/2/12

15 March 2006

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 99/2006

European Union (EU)1 : Unauthorised Food Colourings in Food for Export to the EU

This circular is to remind traders that food products for export to the EU should comply with the relevant EU requirements on food colourings. Details of the EU requirements on food colourings are set out in EU Directive 94/36/EC, a copy (pdf format) of which is attached to this circular for reference.

DETAILS

  1.  
  2. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has received notifications from the EU concerning the presence of certain unauthorised food colourings2 in food exports from Hong Kong to the EU. The FEHD wishes to advise traders that all food products for export to the EU must conform to the relevant EU requirements. 
     
  3. Although certain food additives, including food colourings, are permitted for use in food intended for consumption in Hong Kong, they may not be so under EU legislation and should therefore not be present in food products for export to the EU. Traders are advised to ensure that their food exports to the EU do not contain food additives disallowed by the EU. 

ENQUIRIES

  1. For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact Mr. YC Fung of the FEHD at telephone number 2867 5571.

Yours faithfully,




(Vincent WONG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

1 The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
2 The food colourings are E102 Tartrazine, E124 Ponceau 4R/ Cochineal Red A, E110 Sunset Yellow FCF, E127 Erythrosine, E133 Brilliant Blue FCF.



  • While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.