Food Safety

64. As the Chinese saying goes, “food is people’s paramount concern”. There is now widespread public concern about food safety. The Mainland supplies Hong Kong with poultry, livestock, marine products and other non-staple food on a daily basis. We have taken the opportunity presented by recent food safety incidents to enhance our notification system with the Central Authorities and the Guangdong provincial authorities. We have agreed the systems and procedures for monitoring the safety of food imported from the Mainland. Recently we have reached a consensus on control at source. Relevant SAR Government departments will send officials to visit the facilities of Mainland suppliers to inspect the safety measures taken during the growing or rearing process. The Government will step up efforts in the sampling and testing of food being sold on the market.

65. To pool our resources for better food safety control, we have decided to reorganise the government departments and establish a new Food Safety, Inspection and Quarantine Department. The new Department will consolidate functions now performed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in this regard, including the monitoring and controlling of imported and local live food and non-food animals, poultry and birds, and the safety of vegetables, meat, seafood and food products. The supervision of food safety involves many statutory functions and is a government responsibility. In carrying out this work, the new Department will liaise closely with relevant experts and academics as well as consumers. It will listen to their views on food safety standards to ensure that our people can eat with peace of mind. We will brief the Legislative Council on the specific arrangements later.