Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food Carrie Yau says there is a well established system on monitoring pesticide residues in vegetables, and it is operating well.

Speaking on a radio talkshow today, Mrs Yau said Hong Kong consumes 1,700 tonnes of vegetables daily and 90% of them are from the Mainland.

She said samples will be collected at the import, wholesale and retail levels for testing. Traders whose vegetables contain excessive pesticide will be deleted from the list of importers.

She said the system is effective as there have been no major food poisoning cases involving pesticide-tainted vegetables recently. The Government has asked the two major supermarket chains to improve its tracking system on vegetables.

Meanwhile, on the policy to cap the maximum daily supply of chickens at 20,000, Mrs Yau said the figure was formed after carefully considering different factors, adding it is a balance between public health and social need. However, the Government will consider raising the quota on imported live Mainland chickens to cater to demand during the upcoming Tuen Ng Festival.