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HKFP
a day ago
- Business
- HKFP
Complaints about food delivery apps more than doubled in first 5 months of 2025, Consumer Council says
Hong Kong's Consumer Council saw over 970 complaints related to food delivery platforms in the first five months this year, a 130 per cent increase from the previous year. The city's consumer watchdog said at a press conference on Monday that it received 971 complaints by food delivery platform users from January until the end of May this year. In contrast, it received 421 reports in the same period last year. Jack Poon, the council's chairperson of the digital economy and information technology committee, said a total of 310 complaints, around one-third of the overall number this year, were related to delayed deliveries or undelivered food. There was also a sharp rise in complaints about order cancellations, from 47 reports in the first five months of last year to 272 this year, he said. Poon said he believed the overall jump in reports was due to more people using food delivery platforms, as companies were pushing promotions to attract customers. 'Complaints have risen maybe [because] of the [competitive] situation,' he said in Cantonese. Poon also described three complaints received by the watchdog. In one case, a customer who ordered food from a delivery platform only received their order after a one-hour delay. The platform at first declined to issue him a HK$120 coupon promised under its compensation policy, and only did so after the Consumer Council intervened. In another case, a customer who selected the 'self-pickup' option arrived at the listed address only to find it did not exist. After the complaint was filed, the restaurant told the council that it only operated online and had no physical outlet. Another complainant reported to the council that they placed a wrong order and asked for cancellation and a refund within one minute, but the request was refused by the platform, saying the food had already been prepared. The Consumer Council urged food delivery platforms to enhance their transparency to allow customers to know when the food has been made, picked up by the courier and is en route to the delivery location. Hong Kong's food delivery landscape is dominated by Singapore-based company Foodpanda and Keeta, a platform backed by Chinese retail giant Meituan. Deliveroo announced its exit in March after nine years of operation in the city, saying it had entered a deal with Foodpanda to support its couriers and purchase some of its assets.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
80% of 25 eyeshadows found to contain heavy metals: Hong Kong consumer watchdog
More than 80 per cent of 25 cream and liquid eyeshadows tested by Hong Kong's consumer watchdog have been found to contain heavy metals that may cause skin allergy, with lead being detected in all products, but at levels that do not pose safety concerns. Nine of the 25 single-colour models in stick, cream and liquid form did not list an expiry date or period after opening, according to the Consumer Council. Ten products only listed ingredients in Japanese or provided no such label. 'The industry is urged to clearly list all ingredients and expiry dates on the product package to help consumers identify potential health and environmental pollution risks to make informed choices,' Jack Poon Sik-ching, the council's chairman of the committee on digital economy and information technology, said on Monday. The council put to the test 10 eyeshadow sticks or crayons, seven cream eyeshadows and eight liquid eyeshadows. They were tested for four metals – antimony, chromium, cobalt and nickel – that could cause skin irritation, as well as four safety-related elements in lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. The level of allergenic heavy metals detected in the cosmetic products was below a more lenient acceptable standard of 5mm/kg, except for Mermaid Eye Shade in colour Starfish from New York-based brand Chantecaille, which contained 5.4mm/kg of chromium. The Consumer Council says that nine products did not list an expiry date or a period after opening. Photo: Handout Cobalt was detected in 80 per cent of tested models in amounts between 0.13mm/kg and 1.6mm/kg, while 19 models contained chromium between 1mm/kg and 5.4mm/kg.
