Just 1 out of 4 Hong Kong fermented tofu makers goes on record to say product is all local

Post approaches decades-old fermented tofu brands after 119-year-old Liu Ma Kee brought down over production process controversy

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Liu Ma Kee has closed after more than a century of business following revelations it imported its fermented tofu from mainland China and resold it with additives introduced under poor hygiene conditions. Photo: Jelly Tse

Published: 10:08pm, 23 Jul 2024

Just one of four established Hong Kong fermented tofu makers approached by the Post has gone on record to say its products are entirely locally produced, after a century-old business fell from grace over controversy about the safety and origins of its goods.

The Post on Tuesday inquired about the manufacturing process behind the decades-old brands following Liu Ma Kee’s closure over revelations it had imported its fermented tofu from mainland China for about 30 years and resold it with additives introduced under poor hygiene conditions.

The 119-year-old business earlier said it had chosen to import the product as it could not meet the city’s stringent sewage treatment regulations.

In light of the case, the Post reached out to four Hong Kong fermented tofu producers, with only one saying its entire production process took place in the city.

Tai Ma Sauce Company, which has eight stores in the city, said that their fermented bean curd products were wholly made in Hong Kong.

Business owner Chau Ka-wai said Tai Ma Sauce sourced its tofu from other companies in the New Territories, before conducting the fermentation and flavouring stages at its site in Kowloon Bay.