Hong Kong, China has issued “Hong Kong Code of Marketing and Quality of Formula Milk and Related Products, and Food Products for Infants and Young Children" ("the HK Code") on 2nd November. The HK Code was initiated by Family Health Service, Department of Health (FHS-DH) with an aim to protect breastfeeding and promote proper use of breastmilk substitutes, including formula milk, formula milk related products, and food products for infants and toddlers from 0-36 months.
The HK Code is voluntary in nature. It provides adequate and unbiased information in accordance with the widely recognized “International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes approved by the WHO in 1981 and consecutive World Health Assembly resolutions.
An Advisory Panel (AP) is set up to supervise the monitoring system. Two approaches will be adopted in monitoring compliance of the HK Code. The active approach involving regular surveying and inspections carried out by the DH and the Centre for Food Safety (CES). The passive approach leans on accepting comments and complains from the public. A compliant form is available in the appendix of the draft as well as from the national enquiry point. The complaints that recognized as substantial after responsible agencies’ evaluations, together with an advisory letter of the compliance of the Code, will be sent to the corresponding manufacturers and distributors (M&Ds). The AP will publish information on the amount of advisory letters sent and the number of M&Ds associated on a regular basis.
A public consultation on the HK Code is still running under the FHS-DH and the final date for comments is set on 31st December, 2012. The tentative adoption and effective dates of the HK Code are second quarter 2013 and fourth quarter 2013, respectively.
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