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The International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) holds a "Meeting on strengthening INFOSAN in Asia and national food safety systems" in Hong Kong for the first time, which lasts for four days from today (November 23) to November 26 at the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the meeting today, the Permanent Secretary for Food and Health (Food), Mrs Cherry Tse, said in a globalised world, people had access to a diverse range of food from every corner of the world which made them vulnerable to contaminated food and food-borne diseases in other places. International support and co-operation was therefore crucial to the never-ending quest for food safety enhancement. The INFOSAN meeting today provided a valuable opportunity for food safety regulators to share concerns, brainstorm solutions to common problems and build up the trust necessary for co-operation in enforcement. She pledged Hong Kong's commitment in safeguarding food safety, not only for the people of Hong Kong but also for its neighbours and the international community.
Today's meeting is the one held in Asia by the INFOSAN this year, which was co-hosted by the Centre for Food Safety of Hong Kong and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of Korea. Some 80 representatives from its member countries and organisations attended the meeting to have in-depth discussions and exchanges on various issues in relation to improving food safety in Asia.
The INFOSAN is a global network of national food safety authorities, managed jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, with an aim to enhance the sharing of information on food safety and co-operation among food safety authorities so as to prevent the spread of contaminated food and foodborne diseases.
Ends/Monday, November 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:26
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