F. Labelling of Liquor

F. Labelling of Liquor

Under regulation 67A of the Dutiable Commodities Regulations (Cap. 109A), every container of liquor for local consumption must have a label showing its alcoholic strength, or the range of alcoholic strength, of the liquor.

The label showing the alcohol strength must be easy to read, and the information must be printed in English letters, Chinese characters, Arabic numerals (0–9), the “%” sign, or any combination of these. The label must be securely attached to, or form part of, the container itself, and it must be placed so that it is clearly visible.

No alcohol-strength label is required if the liquor is imported by a person for his own use in his baggage, or the importer cannot get the information for the label because the manufacturer has ceased operation.

If liquor for local consumption has no label with alcohol strength as required, or has a label that falsely states the alcohol strength, the importer (if imported) or the manufacturer in Hong Kong (if produced locally) is committing an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $50,000.

It is a defence if the defendant can prove that he did not know, had no reason to suspect, and could not, with reasonable effort, have found out that the container did not have the required label, or the alcohol strength shown was wrong.