Page 0: Page 1: 二○一○年七月十五日 大部分穀類早餐含高糖 穀類麥片作早餐頗為普遍，取其方便又健康，然而，消費者委員會的調查發 現，大部分穀類早餐雖然含豐富的膳食纖維，但同時卻含頗高的糖份。 消委會聯同食物安全中心於三月至六月中旬，於市場上搜集共 38 款穀類麥 片，包括 21 款冷食穀類早餐及 17 款熱食麥片，檢視包裝上的營養標籤。 結果發現，八成冷食穀類早餐樣本糖含量較高，關注糖攝取量的消費者需加 留意。 以每 100 克食物計，21 個冷食穀類早餐樣本的糖含量由 4.4 克至 43 克；17 個樣本（80%）的糖含量，根據英國食物標準局的準則屬於高糖，其中一樣本每 100 克高達 43 克糖。進食包裝上建議的一食用分量（28 克約 1 小碗） ，便攝取約 12 克糖，約佔每日糖攝入上限的 24%。 膳食纖維有益健康，大部分冷食穀類早餐樣本的膳食纖維含量達到營養標籤 制度下，作出「含膳食纖維」聲稱的水平，以每 100 克食物計，樣本的膳食纖維 含量由 1.9 克至 14.5 克，只有一個樣本含低於該聲稱規定的下限（每 100 克食物 含不少於 3 克） 。 熱食麥片方面，部分樣本同樣糖含量偏高，其中一款糖含量最高的燕麥片， 每一小包（42 克）麥片，含 12.3 克糖，約相當於每日糖攝入上限的 25%。另一 方面，一個較極端的例子是，糖含量最高的小麥片飲品，飲用以一小包沖劑（32 克）調製的飲品，便攝入 16 克糖，為每日糖攝入上限的 32%。 攝取過多糖會增加超重及患肥胖症的風險，也會增加患上一些慢性疾病，例 如糖尿病、高血壓和心臟病的風險。世衞組織建議，糖攝取量應少於人體每日所 需能量的 10%。以一個每日攝取 2,000 千卡能量的人為例，每日糖的攝取量應少 於 50 克（約 10 粒方糖） 。 七月份的《選擇》月刊為選購穀類麥片提供建議： Page 2: - 選擇全穀食品有助攝取更多膳食纖維，如全穀類早餐、燕麥片等。 營養資料標籤制度已於今年七月一日生效，消費者應閱讀營養標籤，挑選較 低糖的產品。 含糖量較高的產品宜間中享用。 若有時間準備，可選用純燕麥片產品，加適量的低脂奶、乾果或果仁，製成 一碗「低糖、低鈉、低脂、高纖」麥皮。 iDTV 未必愈貴表現愈好 關注能源效益的消費者可能會對內置數碼電視廣播接收功能電視 機 （ iDTV） 的 錄 影 功 能 感 失 望 。 這 個 首 次 由 消 費 者 委 員 會 進 行 的 iDTV 測 詴 ， 在 德 國 進 行 ， 結 果 發 現 市 面 一 些 iDTV 樣 本 在 設 定 預 校 錄 影 功 能 後 ， 不 必 要 地 耗 費 電 力 。 測 詴 樣 本 包 括 20 款 不 同 牌 子 和 型 號 的 iDTV， 全 部 都 是 較 為 普 遍 的 32 吋 1920x1080 屏 幕 解 像 度 全 高 清 型 號，由 每 部 最 低 的 $3,990 至 最 高 的 $7,000 不 等 。 測詴結果發現有樣本在設置了預校錄影後，便不能切換至真正的 備 用 狀 態 ， 耗 電 量 高 達 15 至 31 瓦 特 。 此 外 ， 5 個 樣 本 即 使 預 校 錄 影 完成後，也不能自動切換至真正備用狀態，虛耗電力，設計有改善空 間。 測 詴 比 較 20 個 樣 本 的 畫 質 、 音 質 、 使 用 方 便 程 度 、 多 功 能 程 度 、 特殊使用和用電量。 3 個 樣 本 在 畫 質 方 面 表 現 特 出，在 5 分 評 級 中 得 4 分。但 有 一 個 樣 本 的 屏 幕 反 光 嚴 重 。 另 外 ， 大 部 分 樣 本 （ 18 個 ） 播 放 動 作 不 流 暢 ， 雖 然 使 用 動 作 優 化 功 能 例 如 100Hz 模 式 後 或 有 改 善 ， 但 卻 通 常 產 生 數 碼 人工化的不自然效果。 音質方面則普遍令人失望。近半數樣本的音質欠佳，與纖薄機身 有關。消費者可考慮將電視機接駁至音响器材，但須留意 7 個樣本只 設數碼音頻輸出，不能接駁舊式音响器材。 - 2 - Page 3: 耗 電 量 方 面，假 設 電 視 機 每 天 啟 動 3. 5 小 時，20.5 小 時 處 於 備 用 狀 態 ， 各 樣 本 每 年 的 耗 電 支 出 由 $106 至 $200 。 7 個 樣 本 每 年 電 費 低 於 $125， 獲 4.5 評 分 。 整 體 測 詴 結 果 顯 示，樣 本 售 價 與 質 素 沒 有 直 接 關 係。考 慮 購 買 iDTV 的消費者可參考 7 月份《選擇》月刊的報告。 商戶結業消費者可否終止信用卡分期付款? 消費者須留意，倘若購物是以信用卡每月分期付款的方式簽帳，一旦遇上公 司清盤或倒閉，他們有可能需為未交付的貨品或服務，繼續供款直至整筆供款期 滿。 消費者委員會發現，這問題於去年接二連三有商戶倒閉結業而陸續浮現。在 今年頭半年，消委會共收到 54 宗牽涉商戶倒閉的信用卡分期付款投訴，比去年 同期 (23 宗) 上升超過 1.3 倍。有消費者投訴，即使因為公司倒閉而未能取得貨 品或服務，亦不能終止或暫停按月供款的信用卡簽帳計劃。 兩宗典型個案正好說明消費者要承擔的風險及責任。 一名消費者去年在購買瑜伽健身會籍時，被職員游說簽署三年服務合約，並 以信用卡分期付款，以享受較便宜的月費，又獲「保證」公司若倒閉便無須繼續 供款。該瑜伽中心在今年年中突告結業，消費者得悉消息後，立刻致電發卡公司， 要求取消餘下兩年的分期供款。銀行表示，根據信用分期的條款及細則，已代為 墊支整筆款項予商戶，故不可取消餘下分期付款。 另一名消費者在電器店購買一部價值 $17000 的等離子高清電視，並以信用 卡分 24 個月供款；在等候送貨期間，電器店結業，事主隨即向臨時清盤人登記 為無抵押債權人，並以書面向信用卡發卡銀行提出取消有關分期供款，該銀行要 求他在等候調查結果期間，繼續分期供款。 從上述兩案例顯示，消費者在信用卡分期付款計劃上簽署後，將來未必可以 撤回相關條款並終止繳款。不同信用卡簽帳的分期付款計劃的性質、條款不盡相 同，但大部分為銀行與客戶的貸款協議，即使日後與貨品或服務提供者出現任何 爭議，消費者亦有責任償還全數貸款，而發卡機構則不會負責一切有關產品或服 務的事宜。 為減低損失，消委會建議消費者以信用卡分期付款時應留意： - 3 - Page 4: - 避免一次過預繳大筆金額。 簽署信用卡分期付款計劃前，必須詳閱分期付款條款。 不要輕信推銷員一面之詞。信用卡分期付款計劃意味消費者要分期攤還由財 務機構墊支的整筆費用。 教科書價格年度調查 今年小學和中學廣用教科書的售價，平均上升 0.3%和 0.6%；售價平均升幅 與同期消費物價指數相若。中小學教科書今年各有 18 科和 5 科凍結書價。 但個別科目升幅較顯著，中學教科書以應用數學科升幅最高，達 7.2%，小學 教科書中公民教育科升幅為 2.9%。 消費者委員會的年度調查包括 879 本廣用教科書（372 本小學用書和 507 本 中學用書） ，當中逾一成（107 本）調高訂價，加幅由 1%至 8.8%不等。 綜合旗下有廣用書加價的出版商的回應，售價上升的原因包括學生人數下降 及營運成本上升等；而今年書紙價格較去年同期亦大幅上升約兩成，印刷費則和 去年相若。 教科書出版業界指出，經營成本急劇增加，而今年是舊學制中六的最後一 年，不少預科課本因缺貨，需重印數百本，單是印刷成本便要增加數倍。 教育局建議教科書出版商，積極考慮在合適的科目製作平裝版供家長選擇， 減低家長負擔。 小心選購安全鞋 保護雙腳免受傷 在工作場所，特別是建築地盤，穿着合適的安全鞋能有效減低被下墜重物擊 中或被尖銳物件刺到，導致腳部受傷的機會。然而，不同型號的安全鞋的保護程 度不盡相同，消費者須小心選購，讓雙腳於工作時得到保護。 消費者委員會與職業安全健康局的一項聯合測詴，評估 12 款安全鞋的表現。 測詴樣本包括 6 款中筒、4 款低筒和 2 款高筒型號，售價由$120 至$1,099。 - 4 - Page 5: 其中 7 款標明符合安全鞋標準。 附有標註符合安全鞋標準的樣本，整體表現比沒有標註的為佳。 保護程度方面，12 個樣本中，3 款通過全部測詴項目，包括鞋頭防撞擊和耐 壓能力，以及鞋底防刺穿能力。另外 4 個樣本的保護程度不理想，未能通過上述 3 個測詴項目，其中一款更標註符合安全鞋標準，消委會已將有關測詴結果交予 香港海關跟進。 防滑能力測詴分別於瓷磚和鋼板表面上進行。雖然全部樣本都沒有聲稱產品 達到在鋼板表面的標準防滑能力要求，但本會仍參照標準要求，就樣本在鋼板表 面的防滑能力作比較測詴，供消費者參考。 儘管大部分樣本通過瓷磚表面的防滑要求，但只有 2 個樣本同時符合在鋼板 表面的防滑能力要求。消費者在鋼板表面工作時，穿著安全鞋應留意其的防滑能 力表現。 測詴乃參考安全鞋歐盟及國際標準 EN ISO 20345 進行。所有樣本根據測詴 結果以最高 5 分來評級，評分比重為：保護程度（45%） 、防滑能力（20%） 、舒 適程度（15%） 、耐用程度（15%）及功能設計（5%） 。 7 個聲稱符合安全鞋標準的樣本中，5 個得 4.5 分；餘下 5 個沒有作出聲稱的 樣本，最高的也只得 3 分。 7 月份的《選擇》月刊同時刊登了選購安全鞋要點： 按工作地點的潛在危險而選擇符合標準的安全鞋，並留意鞋上標示的保護功 能。 以皮料製造鞋面的鞋較耐磨，全膠料的較防水。 若要選購聚氨脂（polyurethane，簡稱 PU）鞋底的安全鞋，要留意通常標示 在鞋底的生產日期標示，距離生產日期越近越好。 今 日 （ 七 月 十 五 日 ） 選 擇 》 月 刊 記 者 招 待 會 主 持 為 消委會宣 傳 及 社 區 《 關係小組副主席許樹源教授。 歡迎被邀出席新聞發布會的傳媒引用新聞稿的內容。 - 5 - Page 6: 《 選 擇 》 月 刊 現 已 上 網 ， 網 址 為 http://choice.yp.com.hk， 同 時 可 透 過電訊盈科固網及流動電話服務接收。 消費者委員會保留所有關於《選擇》月刊及網上《選擇》的權利（包 括版權） 。 - 6 - Page 7: Most Breakfast Cereals are High in Sugars Breakfast cereals are commonly consumed for convenience and, healthy in nature. But the results of the Consumer Council’s study show that while most of the breakfast cereal products are high in dietary fibre content, they are deemed high in sugars. In collaboration with the Centre for Food Safety, the Consumer Council conducted a study on the nutrition labels of 38 cereal products, including 21 cold-served breakfast cereals and 17 hot-served cereals collected in the market between March and mid-June. It is found that 80% of the cold-served breakfast cereal products are high in sugars, a special reminder to people who need to watch out for their sugars intake. For each 100g of cereal, the sugars content in 21 cold-served breakfast cereal samples ranges from 4.4g to 43g, of which 17 (80%) are deemed high in sugars according to the UK Food Standards Agency guidelines. One sample is found containing 43g of sugars per 100g of cereal. Consuming 1 serving (28g a small bowl) of the sample may result in an intake of 12g of sugars, which is around 24% of its daily intake limit. Dietary fibre is good for health. Most cold-served breakfast cereal samples have high enough dietary fibre content for making “contain dietary fibre” claim as stipulated in the Nutrition Labelling Scheme. The dietary fibre content of the samples ranged from 1.9g to 14.5g per 100g with only one sample fell below the minimum content for making “contain dietary fibre” claim (no less than 3g per 100g of food). For hot-served cereals, sugars content of some products are relatively high. The oatmeal product with the highest sugars content contains 12.3g of sugars in each sachet (42g), which is equivalent to about 25% of the daily intake limit for sugars. On the other hand, another extreme example is a sample of wheat drink which contained the highest sugars content at 16g sugars per sachet (32g), consuming the reconstituted drink will provide 32% of the daily intake limit for sugars. Excessive intake of sugars may increase the risk of overweight and obesity, and contribute to increased risk of developing some chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that daily intake of sugars should be limited to less than 10% of total energy intake. For example, an individual with daily intake of 2,000kcal energy should limit the sugars intake to less than 50g per day (approximately 10 cubes of sugar). Advices to consumers can be found in the July issue of CHOICE magazine: - 7 - Page 8: - Choose whole-grain food to increase intake of dietary fibre, e.g. whole-grain breakfast cereal, oatmeal, etc. The Nutrition Labelling Scheme has come into effect since 1 July 2010, consumers are advised to read the nutrition labels and select products lower in sugars. Cereal products with high sugars content should be consumed sparingly. If time is available, consumers may use plain oatmeal products, together with moderate amounts of low fat milk, dried fruit or nuts to prepare a bowl of “low sugars, low sodium, low fat and high fibre” oatmeal porridge. - - Higher Price Does Not Translate Into Better Performance of iDTV Consumers who are conscious of energy saving may be disappointed by the recording function of iDTVs. The first study of iDTV, conducted by the Consumer Council in a German laboratory, found unreasonable energy consumption in some iDTV models when timer recording was set. The test covered 20 models of iDTV marketed under different makes. All are of the most popular 32” screen size with 1920 X 1080 screen resolution, price ranges from $3,990 to $7,000. The test revealed that some samples were unable to submit to true standby mode if the timer recording function was being used. When timer recording was set, the standby power consumption was as high as 15 to 31 watt. 5 samples even failed to switch to true standby after recording was finished, resulting in unnecessary wastage of energy. Such design has lots of room for improvement. The 20 samples were compared for their performance on picture quality, sound quality, ease of use, versatility, special feature and energy efficiency. 3 samples stood out on picture quality and scored 4 points on a scale of 5. However, one sample had serious screen reflection problem. Motion pictures were also found to be unsmooth in 18 samples. While it might be possible to correct such defect by using motion enhancer function such as 100 Hz, but it usually causes digital artefacts. Sound quality was less than satisfactory in more than half of the samples. It is the drawback associated with the “thinness” of the television sets. Users can consider connecting the television set to hi-fi systems, but 7 of the samples are only equipped with digital audio signal output which is not compatible with traditional hi-fi system. On energy efficiency, the annual running costs range from $106 to $200 - 8 - Page 9: assuming daily stand-by mode for 20.5 hours and 3.5 hours watching. scored 4.5 points with running costs below $125 a year. 7 samples Judging from the overall test results, higher price does not translate into better performance of the samples. Consumers contemplating purchasing iDTVs are advised to consult the report in the July issue of CHOICE. Are Consumers Able to Cease Credit Card Instalment In Case of Shop Closure? Consumers may be liable to pay in full for undelivered products and services when a company goes into liquidation if the purchases are made on credit card instalments. Such a scenario came to light when cases were received by the Consumer Council following a spate of shop closures over the past year, where an increasing number of consumers had complained of failure to seek a moratorium or termination on credit card instalment plan for non-delivery of products or services. During the first six months of 2010, the Consumer Council got a total of 54 complaints on credit card instalment that involved company closure, which is 1.3 times higher than the 23 cases received in the corresponding period of 2009. Two typical cases serve to illustrate the risks and liabilities that could be faced by consumers. A consumer was lured into signing a three-year contract on yoga club membership with promises of discounts and “guarantee” of payment termination in case of company closure. Not for long, the yoga club wound up before the consumer had a chance to enjoy the full training course. When the consumer called the bank to stop payment for the remaining two years of instalments, she was rejected on the grounds that the whole transaction amount had been advanced to the yoga club in accordance with the provisions set out in the credit card instalment plan. In another case, an unfortunate consumer waiting for the delivery of a plasma TV also found himself pumping money into a product never arrived. While pending the delivery of a $17,000 plasma TV which the consumer settled by credit card on a 24-month instalment plan, the company went into liquidation. Upon learning of the news, the consumer immediately registered with the receiver and sent a written request to the card issuer asking for termination of payment, but to his dismay, he was told by the bank to continue the payment while it undertook an investigation. In view of the cases above, consumers are reminded that they may not be able to revoke the terms and stop payment once signed up for credit card instalment plan. While the terms and conditions may vary for different instalment plans, but in most cases, the plans are actually loan agreements with the credit provider in which consumers are obligated to repay the total amount of money owed irrespective of any disputes they had with the product or service provider. And in that sense, the - 9 - Page 10: card issuer would bear no liability in terms of product and service delivery. To minimize losses, consumers are advised of the following: Avoid prepaying a large sum of money. Read carefully the terms and conditions before signing the credit card instalment agreement. Think twice on what is being told by the salesperson. Joining a credit card installment plan implies obligation by the consumers to repay the loan in full. - Annual Price Survey of School Textbook Primary and secondary school textbooks rise in prices by an average of 0.3% and 0.6% respectively this year which are about the same as composite CPI over the same period. 18 and 5 subjects of secondary and primary textbooks were respectively seen to be frozen in price, relatively high increases are however found in Applied Mathematics for secondary classes (7.2%) and Civic Education for primary (2.9%). The Consumer Council’s annual survey covered a total of 879 commonly used textbooks (372 of primary and 507 of secondary), of which 107 (12%) adjusted their prices this year with an increase ranging from 1% to 8.8%. According to publishers which have raised prices for the textbooks they publish, price increase is attributed to factors such as declining student population and rising operation costs. The costs of paper have recorded a substantial increase of about 20% while printing costs remain largely unchanged. The publishing industry points out that the operational costs have risen drastically that have made their business difficult. Furthermore, publishers are requested to reprint a few hundred copies of some matriculation textbooks to meet the demand for the last academic year for Form Six students which have driven up the unit printing cost by several times. Education Bureau recommends the textbook publishers to consider printing low cost version textbooks so as to lessen the burden of parents. Choose Safety Shoes Carefully for Better Protection of Feet Wearing a pair of suitable safety shoes can effectively reduce the risk of foot injuries associated with mechanical hazards at workplace, especially on construction sites. As different models of safety shoes may not offer the same level of protection, consumers should choose safety shoes carefully to get their feet - 10 - Page 11: properly protected at workplace. In a joint test by the Consumer Council and the Occupational Safety & Health Council, a total of 12 models of safety shoes were tested for their performances. The test samples included 6 models of ankle boots, 4 low shoes and 2 half-knee boots, priced from $120 to $1,099. 7 of them claimed to be in compliance with safety shoes standard. In general, samples that claimed to be complying with stipulated standard were found to have better overall performance than those without such claims. On the ability to protect against mechanical hazards, 3 out of the 12 samples passed all the tests - impact resistance and compression resistance of toecap, and penetration resistance of sole. 4 samples were less than satisfactory and failed to pass any of the tests, among them one claimed to be in compliance of safety shoes standard. The Council has passed the relevant test findings to the Customs and Excise Department for follow up. On slip resistance, the samples were tested on both ceramic tile floor and on steel floor. Although none of the samples claimed to meet the requirements for slip resistance on steel floor laid down in the standard, they were tested with reference to the standard to assess their relative slip resistance on steel floor for consumers’ reference. Although results of the tests showed that most of the samples passed the test on ceramic tile floor, only 2 samples were found to pass also the test on steel floor. People wearing safety shoes should take note of this when working on steel floor. The tests were conducted with reference to the European and International Standard of Safety Footwear EN ISO 20345. The safety shoes were rated on a 5-point scale based on: protection against mechanical hazards (45%), slip resistance (20%), comfort (15%), durability (15%) and functional design (5%). 5 of the 7 samples that claimed compliance with safety shoes standard attained 4.5 points. Among the remaining 5 samples (without claims of compliance), the highest score was only 3. Some useful tips on choosing safety shoes are also included in the July issue of CHOICE: Choose those that comply with safety shoes standard defending on the specific hazards in the workplace. Pay heed to the protective functions marked on the safety shoes. Footwear made with leather usually has better abrasion resistance while all-rubber or all-polymeric footwear performs better in water resistance. If safety shoes with polyurethane (PU) outsoles are desired, remember to - - - 11 - Page 12: check the manufacture date which is usually marked on the outsole. The more recent the date of manufacturing the better. CHOICE magazine is now also available online (at http://choice.yp.com.hk) and via fixed-line and mobile services of PCCW. Chairing the press conference today (July 15) on the publication of CHOICE issue number 405 is Prof. Ron HUI Shu-yuen, Vice-chairman of Publicity and Community Relations Committee of the Consumer Council. Members from the media who are invited by this Council to the Press Conference may quote the content of this Press Statement. The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE Magazine and Online CHOICE (http://choice.yp.com.hk). Issued by Consumer Council 15 July 2010 - 12 - Page 13: