lifestyle
process in place in case a food safety
issue occurs. If it does, traceability will
help you pinpoint the source of the issue
and the scope of any potential incident.
Because of its essential role in
maintaining food safety, traceability
requires producers to have sound,
integrated systems in place to ensure
effective controls, both in day-to-day
operations but also in the case of a
contamination or other safety issues.
Some of the most well-known and
trusted brands have been caught up in
scandals about whether their products
are what they claim to be (is the cod
really cod, for example), let alone trusting
the attributes like organic/bio, non-GM,
or geographical indications.
With every new food
scandal, it transpires
that the companies
often do not even
know where exactly
their food comes from.
The authorities tolerate
this. They have to be
sanctioned for this.
—Foodwatch
In Hong Kong there have been
instances of food contamination,
counterfeit foods, unapproved
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ingredients and other issues. There
was 3,500kg of contaminated pork
from mainland China allowed into
the market. Once the problem was
identified, the product had to be
destroyed. A Taiwanese brand of milk
tea was removed from stores across
the city because it contained an
unapproved additive. There are quite a
few more examples but it’s important to
understand how these happened and
what was done about it. It mostly comes
down to traceability. Hong Kong does
have laws to protect consumers.
The basic food law in Hong Kong is
laid down in Part V of the Public Health
and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap.
132). The main provisions cover general
protection for food purchasers, offences
in connection with sale of unfit food
and adulterated food, composition and
labelling of food, food hygiene, seizure
and destruction of unfit food.
Another food law in Hong Kong,
the Food Safety Ordinance (Cap.
612), provides new food safety control
measures, including a registration
scheme for food importers and food
distributors and a requirement for food
traders to maintain proper records of
the movements of food to enhance
food traceability. It also empowers
the authorities to make regulations for
tightening import control on specific food
types and to make orders to prohibit the
import and supply of problem food and
order the recall of such food.
Food suppliers, importers and
restaurants in Hong Kong are doing
some great work in the interest of
providing consumers with the best
possible quality. The new restaurant
Treehouse is developing technology so
customers have the ability to geolocalise
where the produce for that week is
coming from. In time, for example,
customers would be able to see which
local farm the spinach is from.
In the home delivery domain, South
Stream Market—serving consumers for
over 20 years in Hong Kong—take many
steps to ensure high quality, certified
and fully traceable products. Since
their products come from Australia,
New Zealand, Canada, the US and
Europe, it’s vital that they maintain
good relationships with importers
and that the products are completely
traceable. South Stream works directly
with farmers, fishermen, producers and
artisans so they know exactly where
the fish, chicken, meat, vegetables,
bakery items and dairy are sourced. At
the core of their operations is the idea
of traceability. This ensures the supply
chain is visible to customers so they
know where the food is from, how it’s
produced, its impact on the environment
and the welfare of the animals at all
stages. Additionally, South Stream has
introduced a new Artisan Section which
is all about bringing producers and
customers closer together and making
customers more aware of how much
hard work and knowledge goes into
putting some truly special products on
their plates.
As the International Food Information
Council Foundation explains,
“Consumers want to know how their
food is produced, where it came from
and the quality of the ingredients.
They also have broader questions
about environmental sustainability, and
many seek brands that align with their
broader social values.”