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Following is the transcript of remarks (English portion) made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, after attending a public function this afternoon (February 2):
Reporter: (On the latest situation of supply of formula products)
Secretary for Food and Health: After the announcement of a basket of different measures (to ensure stable supply of formula products), we are very concerned about the effectiveness of these measures. The Government is closely monitoring the situation including the utilisation of the Government hotline. For the next stage, we will look at very closely the logistic situation of the actual delivery of the formula milk products (to the local parents). This will be in the next two to three days.
Reporter: Someone said the setting up of the hotline is a shift of the responsibility to the milk powder supplier. Do you think this is correct?
Secretary for Food and Health: I do not think so. There are different opinions about the extent to which the Government should intervene. Even for the current level of intervention, I received different feedbacks including that we are doing perhaps too much. I believed this is a targeted approach that hopefully can hit at the crux of the problem which is the failure of the interface between the customers and the suppliers.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the opening remarks.)
Ends/Saturday, February 2, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:12
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