Government announces appointments to Expert Committee on Food Safety
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     The Government announced today (September 12) the re-appointment of Professor Ma Ching-yung as the Chairman of the Expert Committee on Food Safety and the appointment of a serving member, Professor Chen Zhen-yu, as the Vice-Chairman of the Expert Committee.

     At the same time, the appointment of five new members and re-appointment of 13 incumbent members to the Expert Committee were announced.

     All the appointments are for a term of two years with effect from September 15, 2014.

     Four new members are local representatives. They are Dr Lawrence Chan, Professor Leo Sin Yat-ming, Professor Chris Wong Kong-chu and Dr Raymond Wong Siu-ming. A new overseas member, Professor Steve Hathaway, is also appointed.

     Dr Chan has been a veterinarian with the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He served as the chairman of the Ethics Committee, Veterinary Surgeon Board, from 2006 to 2012 as well as the Veterinary Services Manager at equestrian events of the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010.

     Professor Sin teaches at the Department of Marketing, Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is an expert in strategic marketing and cross-cultural consumer behaviour.

     Professor Wong is the Head of the Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University. His expertise also includes environmental contamination and toxicology.

     Dr Wong is the Consultant of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, and has served at its Poison Treatment Centre since 2005.   

     Professor Hathaway is currently Director, Science and Risk Assessment, in New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries. With an early academic career in veterinary epidemiology and public health, he later specialised in food safety risk analysis and has had extensive involvement in national and international regulatory matters including chairing the Codex Committee on Milk and Milk Products, and working with Codex, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization in the area of food safety.

     The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, welcomed the new members and those re-appointed to the Expert Committee. He said the community looks forward to benefiting from their wise counsel to the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene on strategic and operational aspects of different food safety issues.

     Dr Ko also thanked the outgoing members - Mr Allen Ho, Dr Michael Lam, Dr Matthew Ng, Dr Albert Chan and Dr Paul Brent from Australia - for their valuable contributions to the work of the Expert Committee during their term of appointment.

     The Expert Committee advises the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene on existing or new food safety operational strategies and measures to protect public health. It also sets standards/guidelines relating to food safety and food composition having regard to international practices, trends and developments.

     Following is the membership list of the Expert Committee as from September 15, 2014:

Chairman: Professor Ma Ching-yung
Vice Chairman: Professor Chen Zhen-yu

Local Members:
Dr Lawrence Chan
Ms Sylvia Chung
Professor Annisa Lee
Professor Vincent Lee
Dr Edmund Li
Ms Lina Lim
Mr Anthony Lock
Professor Leo Sin
Professor Wang Wen-xiong
Professor Chris Wong
Ms Jaime Wong
Dr Wong Man-sau
Dr Raymond Wong
Ms Rosa Wong

Overseas Members:
Professor Chan Jun-shi
Dr Chew Siang Thai
Professor Steve Hathaway
Professor Qiao Xiong-wu

Ex-officio Members:
Representative of the Food and Health Bureau
Representative of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
Representative of the Department of Health

Ends/Friday, September 12, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:34

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