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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
A delegation of the LegCo Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene returned on March 30, 2008 after visiting France (Paris) and the United Kingdom (UK) (London) from March 24 to 29, 2008 to study the policies and regulatory frameworks of food safety put in place in these countries.
The four-member delegation was led by Hon Fred LI Wah-ming, Deputy Chairman of the Panel. Other members included Hon WONG Yung-kan, Dr Hon Joseph LEE Kok-long and Hon LI Fung-ying.
During its stay in Paris, the delegation held discussions with government officials from the French Food Safety Agency, Directorate General of Food, Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Repression of Fraud and various authorities responsible for food safety. The delegation also visited Min Rungis, the largest fresh produce wholesale market in the world, and the border sanitary control office at Charles de Gaulle International Airport.
In London, the delegation held discussions with representatives of British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation, and "Which?", the largest consumer body in the UK on food safety issues. The delegation also received briefings from officials of the UK Food Standards Agency on food labelling, enforcement issues, handling of food incidents and control of imported food.
The delegation was of the view that the experience of the visit had provided useful reference for the scrutiny of the nutrition labelling legislation and the future Food Safety Bill to be introduced into the Legislative Council. The information obtained would facilitate the monitoring over the Administration's work in building up a comprehensive and integrated approach in food chain management and implementing relevant policy measures to enhance food safety.
Ends/Monday, March 31, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:53
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