Hong Kong’s jail authorities have on short notice ceased to engage one of their long-time caterers over a rule infraction, a decision that the business proprietor says will lead to huge financial losses and might even shut it down for good.

The Wing Kwong Food Centre was informed on Christmas Eve that it would no longer service Lai Chi Kok Reception Center starting Dec. 28. The company is one of three caterers for the facility, which houses prisoners remanded in custody and other detainees.

Wing Kwong’s proprietor, surnamed Siu, told Apple Daily that his business had for nearly two decades supplied food to the facility, which was operated by the government’s Correctional Services Department, and currently provided over 100 packed meals daily.

In October, a court ruled that Wing Kwong’s proprietor and staff breached prison rules because one of the meals provided did not match its description. The three defendants were each fined HK$1,000 (US$129) and received a 15-month bind-over order.

The case involved a man charged with rioting over the 2019 Polytechnic University siege, who was kept in custody at the Lai Chi Kok center awaiting trial. At the request of a friend, Wing Kwong delivered a vegetarian meal to him despite it not being on the official menu.

“Who knew that a small mistake could result in [losing the business] with only three days of notice?” Siu told Apple Daily.

Siu said his company had strictly adhered to the department’s catering requirements, but that officials usually exercised discretion to allow prisoners to receive food not on the menu.

He speculated that his company might have been treated especially harshly because a pro-democracy protester was involved.

Wing Kwong would need to refund clients and would suffer losses from its unsold stock, Siu said. The business might also be in dire straits because of COVID-19 crippling sales, he added.

Siu said he had tried writing and calling the department to ask for an extension of the termination deadline, but received no reply. Apple Daily has contacted the department for comment.

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