Organic Truth: Are You Getting What You Pay For?
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magazineTHE YOUNG REP RTER April 2016 Organic truth: Are you getting what you pay for? Liscense to thrill Kung Fu in 3D An Aussie turned Hong Konger No license required for Motion capture technology helps Ho Kwok-wing tells you why trampolines preserve traditional martial arts P8 P12 P16 In This Issue 4 Organic truth: Are you getting 10 Busking in a concrete jungle 14 Are robot journalists real? what you pay for? Street Music Series introduces How would they fare against Sales of organic vegetables lack diversity to local music industry humans? adequate monitoring NEWS NEWS FEATURE 16 An Aussie turned Hong Konger Ho Kwok-wing tells you why 8 License to thrill 12 Kung Fu in 3D NEWS No licensing rules for Motion capture technology helps 18 Changing the meaning of NEWS trampoline parks NEWS preserve traditional martial arts blindness Technology is redefining the lives of blind people THE YOUNG REP RTER Letter from the Editor magazine Editor-in-Chief Editors April has arrived and so have your pressure on its candidates. Indeed, Jon Chan Aaron Au essays and projects. Dear fellow a degree helps but it is not the only Jonathan Chan university students, I wish you all way out. Deputy Editors Michelle Chan Hilda Lo Kary Hsu the best. It may be a lot of pressure Alvin Kor but once it is over, all that is left are Over the past few months there Lindsy Long Ann Li a few exams and a long break to have been over 20 cases of student Candice Tang Anna Tang Joanna Wong look forward to. suicides and little has been done Social Media and Web Catherine Xu by the education bureau other than Editors Compared to students taking the giving schools $5,000 as an attempt Fred Lai Reporters HKDSE, it’s fair to say that our to lower the alarming suicide rate. Janet Sun Morris Chan Emily Cheung April is much less stressful. A week Julianna Wu Charlotte Yang Paulus Choy ago a student taking the public Long has the government Connie Fong examination for the fourth time advocated the idea of “learning Video Editors Susan Gao killed himself just before the exams is more important than scoring”, Sharon Shi Ellen He were to begin the next morning. but the studying environment they Sharon Tang James Ho molded with their policies has Natalie Wong Melissa Ko Students sitting for the HKDSE been the polar opposite. Under Celia Lai Art Directors Alfred Lam are under overwhelming amounts such circumstances, pressure to Changing the meaning of Phoebe Chau Sing Lee 18 of pressure because as optimistic outperform peers and expectations blindness Arisa Lai Isabella Lo as I was when I sat for it, I had my can easily get the best of a student. Rainie Lam Tiffany Lui fair share of sleepless nights. The Daniel Ma Technology is redefining the lives HKDSE is the battle students had Until the government decides to Public Relations Officer Crystal Tai Henry Wong of blind people been preparing for years, and for tackle this problem, you may want Flavia Wong Nicki Wong many of them obtaining the results to seek help as soon as you feel Distribution Officer Cecilia Wong to get an undergraduate degree like something is not right because Choco Chan Richelia Yeung means everything to them, and nothing is going to change for you Herbert Cheung Tracy Zhang their parents. unless you change yourself, in some way. Advisers Jenny Lam There is this preconception Francis Moriarty among many secondary students’ minds that a university degree is a prerequisite of success which is why Jon Chan Design Adviser the examination puts tremendous Editor-in-Chief Publisher Wade Chan Alice Lee The Young Reporter Printer Volume 48 No. 7 Department of Journalism School of Communication 2016 Hong Kong Baptist University EMAIL [email protected] WEBSITE tyr.hk 4 •FEATURE Organic truth: Are you getting what you pay for? FEATURE• 5 The Organic Standard and Certifica- ecutive of Hong Kong Organic Re- ers buy organic produce with their tion System was introduced in Hong source Centre (HKORC), admitted logo to ensure quality. Kong 14 years ago. It is supposed that monitoring on the sale of or- to guarantee that organic products ganic vegetables in Hong Kong is Hong Kong Organic Resource Cen- meet local standards. Vegetables la- inadequate. tre is the only organization that belled “organic”, for example, cost certifies local organic vegetables. $20 to $30 more per catty (604.8 According to a 2015 report by the They adopt international standards. gram) than regular produce. But HKORC, wet markets in North, Farmers and suppliers who reach many consumers remain sceptical. South, Eastern and Tsuen Wan Dis- the standard are given certificates tricts are the black spots for fake or- so that they can use the HKORC “ I heard in the news that not all or- ganic vegetables. More than 20% of logo on their produce. ganic shops are honest. They mix the vendors in each market sell veg- regular veggies with organic ones,” etables labelled “organic”without “Our procedure is to certify farm said Mr Chan Sze-chi. certification. operation. When the organic veg- gies get into the retail stores ready Professor Wong Wun-chung, ex- HKORC recommends that consum- 6 •6FEATURE •FEATURE “There is no clear definition of ‘organic’ by law. Therefore the Customs and Excise Department cannot prosecute dishonest vendors,” Wong Wun-chung Executive of Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre to be sold, that is another issue,” said Professor Wong. “For now, we can check if sellers abuse the certificate through their sales re- cords. If farmers sell 10kg organic veg- etables to retail A but our investigator is able to buy 20 kg , then we know that the owner of the retail misuses our cer- tificate.” Under present procedures, certified organic vegetables can be sold either through the Vegetable Marketing Or- ganisation (VMO), or by local farmers themselves. “Before distributing the organic veg- etables to chain stores such as PARKn- SHOP and Aeon, they have to undergo pesticide residue testing since the pro- duce are not supposed to contain any pesticide, “said Mr Law Ka-ho, market manager of VMO. “We have labels for organic vegetables in supermarket as well as home deliver- ies. Consumers purchasing loose organic produce at wet market need to be extra cautious,” said Mr Law. “There is no clear definition of “organic” by law. Therefore the Customs and Ex- cise Department cannot prosecute dis- honest vendors,” said Professor Wong. “We can report those sellers who misuse our certificate to the Customs and Ex- Most vegetables in supermarkets are packaged with labels and bar coded for consum- cise Department for (allegedly) violating ers to trace the origin. FEATUREFEATURE• 77 • 7 It is hard for consumers to tell whether vegetables sold at wet markets are genuinely organic. of Trade Description,” he said. “Yet, vegetables in order to boost local Chan. “ But I would prefer authentic it is hard to tell whether vegetables brands,” he added. labels. For instance, farmers can sign are organic or not simply by look- on their own labels. I would find that ing.” “Buying organic veggies from regu- more reassuring.” lar markets may be handy,” said Mr Only two cases of breaches of the Trade Description Act have been fined $2000 and $10,000 respec- tively in 2013 and 2015. But in 2015 alone, the HKORC found 51 cases of misuse of their certificates at wet markets. “Laws should be introduced to reg- ulate organic production, certifica- tion and labeling to boost consum- ers’ confidence,” said Legislator Ho Chun-yin, representative of local agriculture and fisheries. To raise awareness of organic fraud, Mr Ho suggested that the govern- ment set up a complaint system on suspicious claims of “organic veg- etables”. By Celia Lai “The government should set up Edited by Anna Tang specific markets for local organic 8 •NEWS SOCIETY & POLITICS License to thrill No licensing rules for trampoline parks A boy sustained a head injury when wheels and pirate ships, according to asked to sign a Term of Use agreement playing on an indoor trampoline the EMSD. when she bought the admission ticket recently, according to the Consumer for the child. She recalled those terms Council’s latest report. The FEHD told the Consumer Council as purported to exempt the operator that relevant international sports from all legal liabilities, according to Unlike in the U.K., no license is associations, such as federations the council. required in Hong Kong for the for trampolines, have already set operation of amusement park facilities. standards on the proper use of sports “The Control of Exemption Clauses Trampolines are not a regulated facilities. Ordinance clearly stated that the “entertainment” activity under the court will only enforce the operator’s Places of Public Entertainment Lack of licensing requirement is not exemption clauses when they are Ordinance, according to the The the only regulatory loophole revealed deemed fair and reasonable,” said Dr Food and Environmental Hygiene from the 178 complaints received by Chan Wai-hon Felix, a law professor Department (FEHD). the Consumer Council during the past from the University of Hong Kong. three years. According to the Council, According to the Electrical and most complaints are about service “Under the legislation, the operators Mechanical Services Department quality and safety concerns of both cannot escape liabilities arising from (EMSD) that regulates amusement indoor and outdoor activities. death or personal injuries resulting park rides, trampolines are not from negligence,” he said. amusement rides since they are not Some operators may use a “disclaimer” power-driven. to evade liabilities, misleading Dr.