Consumer Report issue no. 339
Two testing reports on dietary supplements and nuts and soy food products are published in Consumer Report no. 339, all tested samples passed the quoted safety standards. In view of the new “Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law” that will come into force on 1 January 2022, features on the Law will be published in Consumer Report.
20 tested dietary supplements passed the test
The Consumer Council and the Food Safety Department of Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) continue to work together and conduct tests on various kinds of food products to safeguard consumers’ safety and health. The two departments conducted a test on the hygienic condition of 20 dietary supplements earlier, no samples were found to contain any pathogens including Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens nor Bacillus cereus; pollutants including contents of arsenic, lead and mercury were also tested and all samples passed the quoted safety standard.
Consumers are suggested to consult qualified healthcare professionals prior to taking dietary supplements and must check the label and ingredients on the product. Consumers may take references from the Consumer Report and choose dietary supplements according to personal needs.
Nuts and soy food products tested for their nutrients content
A testing report on 15 samples of nuts and soy food products conducted by the Council and IAM’s Food Safety Department is also included in the latest issue of Consumer Report.
Nuts and soy food products are considered healthy snacks by consumers as they contain nutrients such as protein and unsaturated fats but this kind of food products are prone to get moldy when stored under poor environment. Aflatoxin caused by aspergillus is a kind of carcinogen and the amount of Aflatoxin B1 in food is regulated by a specific Administration Regulation in Macao. All samples were compared for their contents of sodium, calories and fat for consumers’ easy references and testing results of all samples in various areas are satisfactory.
Special feature on “Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law”
The “Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law” aims to safeguard consumer rights, maintain the justice and fairness of the legal relationship between traders and consumers, enhance transparency of traders’ business practices, protect the legal benefits of consumers and combat unfair trade practices. The Law consists of a total of 86 articles and the Council will carry out continuous promotion to let consumers and traders know more about their rights and obligations.
A feature on the compulsory arbitration system introduced in the “Consumer Rights and Interests Protection Law” is included in the current magazine, a “Consumer Alert” analyzing the regulations on activities held at fairs and exhibitions in the Law is also included. The latest magazine also covers a summary on the consumer study award held by the Council over the past years.
Consumers may access the magazine on the Council’s official website and WeChat official account. Consumer Report is also available free of charge at the Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 26, Edf. Clementina Ho), and the service counter of the Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza, public libraries, and bookstores, etc..
For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.