Gutter oil problem must be tackled at source
堵餿水油不在事後追蹤 斬草除根須從源頭監管
文章日期:2014年10月31日

雙語社評齊齊聽

英語 (足本收聽)

普通話 (足本收聽)

【明報專訊】AFTER the eruption of the gutter oil scandal in Taiwan, it took the Centre for Food Safety more than a week to announce that six importers and 383 downstream businesses in Hong Kong had to do with the lard produced by Taiwan's Chang Guann, and order that all their lard and lard products be marked, sealed, and destroyed. The centre is known to have got the relevant information from Taiwan as early as 11th September, which was last Thursday. Its failure to publish the information expeditiously is an example of the centre's inability to take timely action. Food safety officials said in their own defence that they had already urged the public not to consume the products in question, but how could the public know what products were in question when the names of the shops concerned were not disclosed? The Macao authorities had published the details of the shops concerned two or three days before their Hong Kong counterparts did. As Hong Kong and Macao are similarly situated, why is Hong Kong outdone by Macao in this respect? This is a question the Hong Kong government has to answer.

英語

台灣餿水油事件揭發逾一星期之後,食安中心才公布本港有6個進口商、383個「下游」商號涉及台灣強冠生產的豬油,勒令封存和銷毀。不過,據知這些資料,食安中心在上周四(11日)已經從台灣方面知曉,未即時公布,是後知後覺。食環署官員雖然解釋已呼籲市民停用相關產品,不過,當局不公布哪些商號涉及強冠產品,市民根本無法判別,事實上,澳門較本港早兩三日公布,本港與澳門情况相若,為何澳門能、本港不能,政府有必要解釋。

普通話

In Taiwan, about 370 tonnes of Chang Guann's gutter oil are found to have entered the market, involving more than 1,200 manufacturers and shops. About 500 tonnes of Chang Guann's gutter oil have been imported into Hong Kong, which outnumber that of Taiwan, but according to the government only 380-odd downstream retailers have been affected, and only 50 tonnes or so of the oil have been marked and sealed. Considering the quantity of gutter oil imported and in comparison with Taiwan, it does not really make sense that the number of Hong Kong businesses affected is so small.

英語

台灣方面,涉及強冠餿水油的數量約370公噸,受影響廠家、商號超過1200家;本港查明涉及強冠的廢食油約有500公噸,較台灣更多,但是政府公布受影響「下游」商號只有380多家,而封存僅約50公噸。從廢食油數量而言,本港涉及的商號較台灣少那麼多,有點不合常理。

普通話

Hong Kong government officials agree that, with regard to the monitoring of used cooking oils, there is a need to do better. However, their major concern is to improve the tracking mechanism, which falls short of a full solution to the problem. It should be noted that Chang Guann's gutter oil had its origin in Hong Kong, where used cooking oils were collected, recycled, and exported to Chang Guann for further refinement. They were turned into lard and then shipped back to Hong Kong. Therefore the crux of the matter does not lie simply in the timely tracking of contaminated foodstuffs after the outbreak of a scandal so as to minimise the harm being done, but in preventing at the source any used cooking oils from being recycled into the food chain once again.

英語

政府官員就廢食油事件,承認有需要亡羊補牢,不過,探討思維傾向改善追蹤機制,未反映問題的全面情况。檢視今次台灣強冠餿水油,源頭始於本港,據知部分廢食油在回收之後,經過一定加工,運往台灣由強冠提煉,製成豬油,然後運回本港。因此,廢食油事態絕非揭發之後及時追蹤、以減少負面影響那麼簡單,而是從源頭堵截,防止廢食油重新走進食物鏈的問題。

普通話

Used cooking oils should be turned into biodiesel. In March last year, lawmaker Paul Tse Wai-chun put forward a bill urging the government to stamp out gutter oil and take the lead in promoting the production of biodiesel. The bill was passed, but it was not legally binding, and was not followed up by the government.

英語

廢食油本應製作生化柴油,去年3月,立法會議員謝偉俊曾經提出議案,「促請政府杜絕『地溝油』,並牽頭支持生化柴油」,議案獲通過,但是議案沒有約束力,政府亦無跟進。

普通話

When asked by reporters about Taiwan's gutter oil scandal, Environment Secretary Wong Kam-sing said, "At present, used cooking oils are not used for human consumption in Hong Kong. This much we know." As the official in charge of matters related to the recycling of used cooking oils, Wong is totally out of touch with the real situation. It is therefore no wonder that the government's policy in this respect is mistaken. No one can tell how much food made from gutter oil has already been consumed by the Hong Kong public, or for how long the problem has existed. Wong's perception of the situation tells us why this is so.

英語

近日就台灣餿水油事件,記者詢問環境局長黃錦星,他說,「在目前本港的狀况,這些物料(廢食油)有沒有在本地食用,我們了解是沒有這狀况的。」黃錦星是主管廢食油回收的官員,他對廢食油的認知完全在狀况外,這般景况,政府的政策不可能對頭。市民已經不知道吃了多少廢食油產品,也不知道吃了多久,為何如此?黃錦星對事態的認知,就是答案。

普通話

Taiwan's gutter oil scandal has exposed Hong Kong's inadequate supervision of used oil recycling activities. The government must tackle the problem at its very source in order to prevent used cooking oils from re-entering the food chain to the detriment of public health.

英語

台灣餿水油事件反映本港對回收廢食油的監管不足,政府從源頭做起應對問題,才可以杜絕廢食油回到食物鏈,影響市民的身體健康。

普通話

明報社評2014.09.16

Presented by lecturers of Hong Kong Community College, PolyU and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Mr Jason Chan

Lecturer, Hong Kong Community College

http://www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/staff_directory/social_communication/CHAN,_Jason_Siu-chuen-168.html

袁振華博士

香港理工大學中文及雙語學系講師

http://www.cbs.polyu.edu.hk/staff-en/chunwah-yuen.php

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