Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said in
Beijing on Tuesday that a common international platform for an
electronic health-certificate system should be developed to enable
food tracing with laser precision.
According to a press release from the Information Services
Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)
government, Chow said at the international food safety forum that
with the platform authorities can predict food issues before they
occur and food incidents can be resolved within hours rather than
days.
Hong Kong is heading towards this direction and devising a set
of food standards and making the best use of an electronic
food-tracing system, he added.
Chow said a common format and platform for electronic health and
food safety certification could greatly minimize economic,
political and health damage caused by food-safety incidents.
He said the HKSAR government is drawing up a new law to manage
food safety, is learning from the best international practice and
is more than willing to contribute to the strengthening of
international co-operation on the issue, according to the press
release.
Chow said the goal is to ensure a comprehensive and up-to-date
set of food-safety standards complying with international
standards, yet suited to Hong Kong's circumstances.
The HKSAR government is planning a central poultry abattoir to
avoid a human avian-influenza outbreak. Although the proposal has
been hotly debated, Chow said he is confident the public will
support it.
(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2007)