A chain retailing group was convicted and fined $35,000 today (April 12) at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts for supplying and being in possession of bagged seaweed roll rice crackers to which a false trade description had been applied for the purpose of trade, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO). A total of 9 745 packs of bagged seaweed roll rice crackers involved in the case was also confiscated.
Hong Kong Customs earlier received information alleging that a type of bagged seaweed roll rice cracker with suspected false descriptions of the country of origin was being supplied at a chain retailing group. Customs officers then test-purchased the bagged seaweed roll rice crackers concerned from the group's branches located in Yuen Long, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay. After investigation, it was revealed that the packaging bags bore two origin labels which were marked as "原產国名 中国" and "Country of origin: Japan".
Customs then took action and seized 9 745 packs of bagged seaweed roll rice crackers with a total value of $97,450 from three branches and a warehouse of the chain retailing group concerned. After scrutinising the related records, Customs officers discovered that the country of origin of the bagged seaweed roll rice crackers was China.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO. The department will continue to crack down the supply of goods with false trade descriptions to protect consumers' interests.
Under the TDO, any person who in the course of any trade or business supplies or is in possession of any goods for sale with a false trade description commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, April 12, 2023
