There have been infected pigs, tainted eels, pesticide-heavy vegetables and chemically laced fish. Now people in Hong Kong are starting to fight back against the food coming from China.
"I have no confidence in buying food imported from China," says Bonnie Yiu, shopping in a bustling Hong Kong food market. "As long as I can afford it, I will try to go to more upmarket supermarkets and get my meat from Australia or other countries."
China is Hong Kong's main food supplier, but a string of food scares -- and what authorities say is a failure to immediately come clean about the problems -- has rocked the city of 7 million people.
Hong Kong officials were headed to Beijing yesterday for crisis talks on what has become front-page news almost every day, and the talk of nervous shoppers trying to plan their next meals.
"Hong Kong people have no confidence in Chinese food because its quality is bad," says 65-year-old Cheung Kam-bor, a retired teacher.
"You always seem to hear they don't treat their food properly nor maintain a hygienic environment. I am scared," he said.
Last month a pig-borne disease was blamed for the deaths of 39 people in China. But Hong Kong authorities did not ban pork imports until mainland authorities recalled frozen pork from two markets in Shenzhen.
Then Guangdong Province recalled all eel-based products when malachite green -- an industrial dye found to cause cancer in rats, and used as a disinfectant on fish farms -- was discovered in eels.
The Hong Kong government conducted random tests on eels imported from China and discovered that 90 percent of them contained malachite green.
Further tests have since shown that eight types of freshwater fish imported from China -- big head, grass carp, edible goldfish, freshwater grouper, catfish, snake head, largemouth bass and common carp -- were also tainted with the chemical.
Even so, the government has not banned seafood imports from the mainland. But Health Secretary York Chow (周一嶽) was headed to Beijing to discuss food safety with senior officials.
"I have to consider the health of my children," says Chan Yin-yiu, 74. "I will not buy any fish until government tests show it is safe to eat."
The series of scares has rattled Hong Kong, which gets most of its food from China.
"I would avoid eating fish for now," says Max Lee, a 40-year-old civil servant. "You never know. I'm worried they would have a long-term effect on my health."
Concern has also grown recently over pesticide poisoning from vegetables grown in China, after a study by Hong Kong's Baptist University showed a high level of banned pesticide in the breastmilk of new mothers in Hong Kong.
"They always try to cover up things like that," Cheung said. "Usually when some news come out, it normally means the problems get really bad."
China tried to ease Hong Kong's fears yesterday, saying imports from the mainland would be safe despite the recent reports.
"I can responsibly face the Hong Kong people and express this aim: That we can guarantee that the food sold to Hong Kong is safe," said Li Changjiang (
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