By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG, May 11 (Reuters) - When tainted animal feed from China killed several pets in the United States it sparked global concern, but in Hong Kong people have put up with substandard and potentially harmful Chinese food products for decades.

From vegetables laced with too many pesticides to meat and fish loaded with controlled drugs and industrial chemicals, foodstuffs from the mainland have often presented risks for consumers in Hong Kong, experts say.

Late last year, Hong Kong government chemists detected in salted duck eggs Sudan II, an industrial dye fed to the birds to make the yolk in their eggs extraordinarily red, a colour consumers see as indicative of high quality.

Food safety experts and lawmakers say the problem rests partly on Hong Kong not having laws to regulate the quality or origin of food imports, except for live pigs and chickens.

"Our risks are high because China's food safety standards are poor, when their businessmen feed Sudan Red to ducks to make egg yolks redder and feed malachite green to fish," said legislator Fred Li, who sits on a legislative committee on food safety.

Malachite green is a toxic chemical used as a dye. When diluted, it can treat infections in fish, but its use in fish meant for human consumption was banned in some countries in the 1990s when studies suggested it might cause cancer.

Hong Kong banned malachite green in all food products in August 2005 after it was found in live eels and fish from China. China had banned its use in food in 2002.

While things are improving in some areas, serious difficulties remain, experts say.

"Fish, egg, vegetable, fruit imports are unregulated. We face far higher risks compared to other countries. The problem is two-fold: we rely very heavily on mainland supplies and food intended for China's domestic market comes here too," Li said.

China has strict rules governing food meant for export, but is less particular about produce intended for its domestic market, Li said.

NO QUICK FIX IN SIGHT

Hong Kong, with millions of people and little agricultural land, relies on imports for 95 percent of its food consumption. Most come from mainland China -- where a rush into capitalism has given rise to a rash of unregulated companies.

Eager for a fast buck, some food producers cut corners and have little regard for health consequences.

In the early 2000s, it was common for Hong Kong to detect anti-asthmatic drugs in Chinese pork.

Processed Chinese food is also problematic and Hong Kong's Consumer Council regularly issues warnings on products found with dubious additives such as beef cubes. Copycat brands of some food, including soy sauce, have also been found.

The problem became so serious the government set up a Centre for Food Safety in May last year.

Kwan Hoi-shan, a biology professor who advises the centre, says laws are being drafted to control the origin of food imports and the types and levels of drugs and pesticides allowed.

"The laws will state that certain pesticides cannot be used and others cannot go over a certain level. Our main problems are with vegetables and fresh fish. Laws are needed to ban certain drugs and control the level of other drugs," Kwan said.

The centre will push for mandatory tests, now not required by law. However, even Kwan admitted any tangible improvement may only be expected about two years from now because of Hong Kong's onerous lawmaking procedures.

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