Fifteen seafood retailers and six fruit retailers received fines ranging from $500 to $6,500 under the Weights and Measures Ordinance after pleading guilty to selling short weight seafood and fruit in the first six months of this year. The defective weighing equipment concerned was also confiscated.
During an anti-short weight operation which began late last year, officers of the Customs and Excise Department posing as customers purchased fruit and seafood in various districts throughout the territory. After the transactions, the officers revealed their identities and checked the net weight of the purchased goods with electronic scales as well as the accuracy of the weighing equipment used by the retailers. Investigations revealed that two fruit retailers had used defective weighing equipment. The remaining retailers claimed a weight heavier than the actual weight when they sold the goods to the officers.
The seafood sold included fish, shrimps, crabs and squid, and the fruit sold included grapes, cherries, cherry tomatoes, lychees and longans.
In subsequent examinations by the Government Laboratory, discrepancies were found between the net weight and the purported weight of the goods sold with the shortage ranging from 5% to 55%. The detained weighing equipment was also found defective.
A spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department today (July 2) said that another seven seafood retailers and two fruit retailers who were recently found allegedly committing the same offence would be prosecuted shortly.
"Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action against short weight activities to protect consumers' interests and to uphold a fair trading environment," the spokesman said. In the coming weeks, the Customs will focus its attention on seasonal fruit such as cherries and lychees.
Under the Weights and Measures Ordinance, any person who, in the course of trade, supplies goods to another person by weight or measure, should supply the goods in net weight or net measure. Any shortage of quantity purporting to be supplied is an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $10,000. Any person who uses for trade or has in his possession for use for trade any weighing or measuring equipment which is false or defective commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $20,000.
Hong Kong Customs also appeals to the public to report any cases of suspected short-weight offences to the department by calling the 24-hour hotline 2545 6182.
Ends/Thursday, July 2, 2009