Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced on August 26 that a batch of Junlebao pure milk produced on the mainland had bacterial colony counts exceeding legal standards, leading to the immediate suspension of the product's import permit. All affected goods have been sealed in the importer's warehouse and did not reach the local market, according to the department.
The implicated product is a 1-liter package of Junlebao pure milk, with a production origin of mainland China and a shelf life extending to December 6, 2026. The importer is identified as Junlebao (Hong Kong) International Trading Co., Ltd. This UHT (ultra-high temperature) sterilized milk is a staple category commonly purchased by consumers.
Under Hong Kong regulations, milk treated through sterilization methods, including UHT, must not contain 10 or more bacterial colonies. The compliance threshold is set at fewer than 10 CFU per milliliter, determined via direct plate count methodology. Routine surveillance under the CFS's Food Monitoring Programme detected four samples with colony counts reaching or exceeding the limit, violating the requirements of the Milk Regulation (Cap. 132 sub. leg. AQ).
The CFS clarified that while the elevated bacterial counts indicate unsatisfactory hygiene conditions, they do not necessarily imply a food poisoning risk. The centre will initiate a traceability investigation covering the entire chain, from production and transportation to warehousing, to identify the root cause of the exceedance.
In Hong Kong, Junlebao currently holds a limited market share. Beyond the implicated UHT milk, the brand also distributes the low-temperature dairy product "Jiancuo" yogurt, infant formula, and the premium brand Yuexianhuo. Its sales network spans major retail outlets including ParknShop, 7-Eleven, and Wellcome, and the brand has previously received multiple awards in the territory.
The timing of the incident is notable, as it occurred just six days after Junlebao submitted updated IPO documents to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on August 20, restarting its listing process. Financial reports indicate that Junlebao generated revenue of RMB 10.61 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a 10.3% year-on-year increase, while securing the top position in the national low-temperature liquid milk market.
In Junlebao's listing narrative, the Hong Kong and Macau markets are far from peripheral, serving instead as the initial step in its internationalization strategy. The prospectus explicitly outlines plans to use Hong Kong and Macau as a bridgehead for expanding into Southeast Asia and other global markets. The import entity involved in this case, Junlebao (Hong Kong) International Trading Co., Ltd., is a wholly-owned overseas platform within the listing structure.
This regulatory interception at the import stage fundamentally reveals gaps in the company's cross-market standard adaptation and full-chain quality control, directly undermining its brand story of premium quality and international reach. The disparity in Junlebao's understanding of the dairy safety systems in both regions, along with its deficiencies in cross-market compliance, has been amplified under the intense scrutiny of the capital markets.