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As food safety, like all health hazards, does not have territorial boundaries, we have to be vigilant and conscious of dangers all the time, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, said today (June 1) at the opening ceremony of the regional symposium entitled "From Food Incidents to Crisis Management".
As part of our daily work, we communicate with the Mainland authorities and food agencies around the world to make sure that the food imported to Hong Kong is safe, Dr Chow said.
Organised by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS), the two-day symposium provides a platform for food regulators, academics, trade members and consumers to share experience and exchange views on how to better handle challenges.
Ensuring food safety should not be the sole duty of the Government, Dr Chow added, noting that the industry and trade representatives should also take up the responsibilities.
He said that during the past six or seven years, a total of 12 pieces of food safety-related legislation or legislative amendments have been introduced to ensure that the industry will comply.
Also, to effectively cope with food incidents and take prompt action to confine hazards as far as possible, the Food Safety Ordinance introduced a food tracing mechanism that consists of a registration scheme for food importers and distributors and a requirement for food traders to maintain proper transaction records.
The symposium commemorates the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the CFS, which has been discharging its regulatory functions, expanding food surveillance programmes and refining local legislation to align with international food standards.
Set up in May 2006, the CFS has also been building up a network of co-operation with international organisations and counterparts in other jurisdictions, managing food incidents, partnering with the business sector and other stakeholders, and taking enforcement actions.
The CFS has recently been designated as the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) for Risk Analysis of Chemicals in Food. As a WHOCC, the CFS will contribute to the international process of building up knowledge and best practices to protect public health.
Also officiating at the opening ceremony was the Technical Officer in Food Safety of the World Health Organization Western Pacific Regional Office, Ms Jenny Bishop.
The symposium has drawn speakers and participants from different parts of the world, including the Mainland, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Macau, to share their expertise.
Details of the symposium have been uploaded to the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/whatsnew_act/from_food_incident_to_crisis_management.html).
Ends/Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:54
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