Century-old Hong Kong business Liu Ma Kee admits importing tofu from mainland

“The white fermented bean curd was not manufactured by Liu Ma Kee, the authorities told the truth. It was imported from another manufacturer,” he told a radio programme.

Liu said the family started importing bean curd about 30 years ago because they could not meet stricter sewage treatment regulations.

He added that even with the costly treatment equipment installed, the acidic water, a by-product of making the raw fermented tofu, could not be diluted to become water before being discharged.

But he said his parents at the time hoped to keep the business, so they chose to import raw bean curd from the mainland.

Liu insisted that their products were still manufactured in Hong Kong, as “recognised in government documents”.

He added the whole manufacturing process still involved another five to six procedures, including further fermentation, seasoning and filling in bottles, which were done in the city.

Nonetheless, Liu admitted some customers might still misunderstand that the product was made in Hong Kong from start to finish.

It came under further criticism after food safety authorities revealed on Saturday that it had imported preserved bean curd rather than manufacturing its own, and resold it with additives introduced under poor hygiene conditions.

Its store in Yau Ma Tei was abruptly closed last week, while a family member challenged the government’s findings in a television programme and blamed authorities for “sending the shop to hell overnight” and for destroying customers’ trust in the brand.

Liu said on Monday his mother was frustrated after years of persistence to keep the business going.

“I want to apologise to the staff of the Centre for Food Safety. We’re sorry. We, Liu Ma Kee, have done lots of things but we overreacted in our response,” he said.

He said producing fermented tofu was not as easy as the public might think, stressing the city’s hot weather made the manufacturing and storage even more difficult.

“Under the situation of having no preservatives, it is very difficult not to exceed the limit [of bacteria levels],” Liu said, adding the water vapour caused by rising temperatures also affected the product quality.

Liu also said that he could not ensure that shops had enough air-conditioning and warned that the city’s high temperatures presented challenges.

He added that his mother made the decision to close down the family business, acknowledging that the recent saga was “the last straw”.

The business had been even more challenging amid the closure of more shops in the wet market, according to Liu.

But his latest response has yet to win back sympathy from internet users, who expressed their grievances on the company’s social media account.

“They should admit it if there is a mistake. Closing down a business is not the best way, at least they should respond to the customers who wanted to make a refund,” internet user Zycas Lee said.

“The fermented bean curd is not made by you. How can you be so shameless to claim that it was made by you?” another user, Kevin Cheung, said.

“They should have come clean 30 years ago. They have been lying for 30 years,” a user, named Jade, said.

“There is no problem in selling processed food but their products are expensive and they are such a liar. They have a problem of integrity.”