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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene will conduct a 7-day duty visit to France (Paris) and the United Kingdom (UK) (London) from March 24 to 30. The purpose of the visit is to study the policies and regulatory frameworks of food safety put in place in these countries.
The Panel is tasked to monitor and examine Government policies and issues of public concern relating to food safety, environmental hygiene and agriculture and fisheries. The Panel has all along taken a keen interest in the import control of food and the food surveillance measures to ensure that all food on sale are wholesome, unadulterated and fit for human consumption. The Panel has decided to send a delegation to obtain first-hand information on the food regulatory frameworks in France and the UK to ensure the safety of food and to protect the public from health hazards caused by the consumption of unsafe food. The experience of these countries will provide useful reference for Hong Kong in further improving its food regulatory system.
During its stay in Paris, the delegation will meet with government officials from the French Food Safety Agency, Directorate General of Food, Directorate-General for Competition, Consumption and the Repression of Fraud and other authorities responsible for food safety. The delegation will also visit Min Rungis, the largest fresh produce wholesale market in the world, and the border sanitary control office at Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
During its stay in London, the delegation will meet with representatives of Food Standards Agency, British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation, and "Which?", the largest consumer body in the UK.
The delegation is led by Hon Fred Li Wah-ming, Deputy Chairman of the Panel, and comprises three other Members: Hon Wong Yuk-kan, Dr Hon Joseph Lee Kwok-long and Hon Li Fung-ying.
Ends/Thursday, March 20, 2008
Issued at HKT 17:33
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