Sorry for the mix-up!

Ayra Wang

The Consumer Council has apologized for mistakenly categorizing the bottled water of mainland beverage company Nongfu Spring, two days after receiving a legal letter slamming the watchdog for "unprofessionally" saying its product contained the harmful chemical bromate.

The watchdog also raised the overall rating of the company's sample from 4.5 stars to a full five stars.

"We are sorry about the misunderstanding caused by the discrepancy in sample classification in the test," the council said in a statement yesterday.

Nongfu Spring had criticized the watchdog for incorrectly classifying its products as "natural mineral water" and using nonapplicable standards - the European Union's standards - to evaluate them.

It also accused the council of using misleading terms such as "reaching the upper limit" - which could lead to "panic" among consumers - instead of "qualified."

The council clarified that after an in-depth exchange with the company's representatives, it learned that Nongfu Spring products are neither "natural mineral water" nor "purified drinking water" - but "drinking natural water" as classified under mainland standards.

So the council reclassified the sample as a separate category and rescored it, the watchdog said.

It explained that applying EU standards is for "fair comparison" between products from different countries and regions.

The council said the three micrograms per liter of bromate content in the company's samples "fall well below" the EU drinking water limits of 10 micrograms per liter after reclassification.

In the original report the council said the bromate content "reached the upper limit of EU standards."

It also said that bromate is less likely to pose risks to health if its content is below 10 g/l in drinking water.

Third Side lawmaker Tik Chi-yuen, who represents the social welfare sector, said he was "strongly dissatisfied and condemned" the changing of ratings while questioning whether the watchdog has "surrendered to power" and given up its impartial position and professional standards.

Election Committee lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon disagreed, saying the council made the change after receiving more information and background from related companies, which is appropriate.

Kong said she is not worried the incident will affect the watchdog's credibility.

"I consider it responsible as the council made corrections after spotting mistakes and deficiencies," she said.

Kong also hoped the council could present product tests objectively and comprehensively, while urging it to reallocate resources to speed up handling complaints.

Fong Lai-ying, director of the Hong Kong Food Innovation and Technology Center, said reclassifying products is just "playing with words" and ensuring drinking water safety is more important.

Former Consumer Council chairman Anthony Cheung Bing-leung said it was reasonable for the council to admit its mistakes and its credibility was even strengthened as the incident showed that manufacturers have been paying great attention to its tests.

Nongfu Spring posted on social media yesterday that the test result shows its products are fully compliant and safe to drink. It added: "The company will continue to provide safe and high-quality products and services to the Hong Kong market."

Nongfu Spring shares surged 6.48 percent to HK$35.35 yesterday after it shed 2.8 percent on Tuesday.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com