Details of a proposed mandatory food recall framework will be given to lawmakers later this year, while expert views will be sought on reviewing the list of harmful substances in food, Director of Food & Environmental Hygiene Gregory Leung says.

Speaking on radio talk shows today, Mr Leung said the proposal aimed to give the Government the statutory power to order the trade to conduct a mandatory recall to cope with cases where the Government saw an urgent need to withdraw a food product from the market as a precautionary measure when there was indication from the relevant overseas or local authorities that the safety of the food product had yet to be ascertained.

The Legislative Council was consulted about the proposal's directive several months ago, and details will be tabled to lawmakers later this year.

Coral fish control measures planned

Mr Leung pointed out measures to tackle the problem of ciguatera fish poisoning were being planned as live fish were not defined as food under the existing food safety legislation. The measures include introducing import permits, designated landing points and mandatory record keeping. The Government will also be empowered to recall and destroy fish suspected of containing ciguatoxin.

He said the measures would be implemented for coral fish first, and could be extended to other live fish.

Turning to the amendment of the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations under the Public Health & Municipal Services Ordinance, Mr Leung said the move aimed to prohibit the use of malachite green in food. After the revision takes effect on August 26, the Government will be empowered to prosecute people who sell food products containing the industrial dye - a suspected carcinogen - and to destroy those unsafe products.

List of harmful substances under review

While the Government will continue to review and update the list of harmful substances in view of overseas experience, expert views will be sought to see if more such substances should be prohibited, he added.

To speed up the process of food testing and sharing among professionals within the Government, Mr Leung said a food safety centre could be set up drawing together professionals from departments including Food & Environmental Hygiene; Health; and Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation; as well as the Government Laboratory. Staffing and funding proposals will be tabled to the Legislative Council within the year.

Deputy Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Eddy Chan said inspection of live fish had been stepped up to test malachite green. A comprehensive review of the existing food safety control system will also be conducted to refine the system, he added.

Mr Chan stressed that the existing liaison mechanism with the Mainland had been working well, and ways to improve notification of domestic food issues would be explored.

Meanwhile, eight more samples of eel and eel product were found to contain malachite green today.

Among the test results so far, 26 samples of eel and eel product were found to have malachite green and three samples were tested negative.