Food discussion: Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food (Food & Environmental Hygiene) Carrie Yau meets the delegation from the Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare & Food (Food & Environmental Hygiene) Carrie Yau says Hong Kong and Shenzhen inspection and quarantine authorities have put in place multiple checks to ensure the safety of food for supply to Hong Kong.

Meeting the visiting Shenzhen Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau Director General Liu Shengli today, Mrs Yau said foods for internal consumption on the Mainland and export to Hong Kong are dealt with differently, and their inspection and quarantine systems are also different.

Farms or processing plants must meet stringent requirements before Mainland authorities can accredit them as registered farms or processing plants for supplying food to Hong Kong, she added.

Authorities of the two places will conduct checks at different stages - before leaving the farms or plants, prior to export, at the point of import and at different levels in the Hong Kong market.

Mrs Yau also briefed Mr Liu on the latest development in Hong Kong in relation to food safety, including the legislative framework to regulate food importers through registration and enhance the traceability management of imported food by applying information technology to set up and manage the database.

Food exports management to be bolstered

Mr Liu outlined the measures his bureau is taking to strengthen the management of fish, vegetable and fruit exports. Both sides agreed the Mainland authorities will continue to liaise with the trade to ensure the stable supply of food to Hong Kong.