Press Releases
Framework Agreement on Exchanges and Co-operation in Food Safety signed
The First Working Meeting on Exchanges and Co-operation in Food Safety for Hong
Kong/Guangdong held in Guangzhou today (April 11) yielded positive results,
bringing timely information and greater supervision on food safety to people in
the two places.
The Eighth Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference held
by the Chief Executive and the Governor of Guangdong Province on September 28,
2005, included the strengthening of exchanges and co-operation in food safety
between Guangdong and Hong Kong as a focal area of co-operation. The Chief
Executive in his Policy Address last year also accorded high priority to food
safety and said it was the Government's responsibility to do the monitoring work
well.
During today's meeting, the Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food,
Mrs Carrie Yau, and the Director-General of Guangdong Food and Drug
Administration, Mr Chen Yuansheng, signed a Framework Agreement on Exchanges and
Co-operation in Food Safety for Hong Kong/Guangdong to facilitate a more
effective and comprehensive co-operation between the two sides.
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Yau said the objective of signing the Framework
Agreement was to enhance the ties and communication channels as well as
establish a notification mechanism with the Guangdong Provincial Government.
This would help foster mutual exchange of food safety information following the
setting up of the Centre for Food Safety in the middle of this year.
"A series of food incidents in 2005, including the malachite green and
Streptococcus suis incidents, aroused widespread concern over food safety in the
community. Since then, the Government has been actively working on strengthening
the links with the Guangdong Province and neighbouring cities in a bid to
respond to public demand in this aspect. The agreement can be regarded as an
important milestone in enhancing the food safety mechanism," she said.
The key points of the Framework Agreement are as follows:
*Enhance information exchange: including significant food safety policies,
regulations, standard introduction, revision or updating, as well as information
and investigation findings on significant food safety incidents involving both
sides;
*Designate point of liaison: the Guangdong Food and Drug Administration and the
Health, Welfare and Food Bureau would be the respective liaison unit of their
government in respect of exchanges and co-operation in food safety. Both sides
would designate liaison officers responsible for handling the liaison work for
day-to-day operation and specific issues;
*Regular meeting: both sides agreed to convene working meetings at least once a
year to review mutual co-operation and study the work arrangements at next stage
or major incidents;
*Urgent meeting: both sides could convene urgent high-level meeting in the event
of significant food safety incidents or major incidents that warrant holding
meetings; and
*Experts' communication: experts of the two sides would study the speciality and
technicality issues relating to food safety to provide views for the
Governments' reference in policy making.
Mrs Yau pointed out that with the signing of the agreement and the enhanced
co-operation in future, the setting up of the Centre for Food Safety would make
the work concerning the information, surveillance, investigation, publicity,
education and research on food safety more systematic. Public awareness of and
confidence in food safety would also be raised.
During the meeting, the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau gave a briefing on Hong
Kong's food safety regulatory regime and the progress of the establishment of
the Centre for Food Safety, while the Guangdong side gave an account of their
food safety monitoring system and the relevant work.
Officials of the two sides also exchanged views on food safety hot topics which
were of mutual concern, including promotion of quality fish farming programme,
excessive use of food additives in the course of food processing, existence of
chemical residues in agricultural products and problems easily leading to
food-borne diseases.
Other representatives from Hong Kong included the Director of Food and
Environmental Hygiene, Mr Gregory Leung and the Director of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation. Apart from the Guangdong Food and Drug
Administration, the Guangdong side was also represented by the Agriculture
Department of Guangdong Province, Health Department of Guangdong Province,
Guangdong Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce, Guangdong
Provincial Oceanic and Fishery Administration as well as the Entry-Exit
Inspection and Quarantine Bureau of Guangdong, Shenzhen and Zhuhai.
Ends/Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:32
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