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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 1 June 1988
1505
re-sold after entry. Nevertheless, the Municipal Services Branch and the Customs and Excise Department are keeping the situation under surveillance and, in cases of doubt, food items are referred to food inspectors for examination.
Should there be any evidence, in future, that attempts are being made to circumvent proper procedures for the sale of imported cooked meats, the need for tighter controls under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance would of course be considered. There is no reason to believe, however, that such action is warranted at the present time.
DR. IP: Sir, do I take it that there are no statutory controls on the import of cooked food? If that is so and if control is at the moment confined to sale of cooked food, how does Government then distinguish between imported cooked meat and local cooked meat?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I think the answer to that question is that the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance and its regulations do provide for all foodstuffs sold in Hong Kong, certainly for cooked meat, to meet the required standards and that the most practical way of ensuring this is to carry this out at the point of sale, or at the wholesale level. I am sure it makes no difference if one eats cooked meat that is off, whether it is imported or not.
MR. DESMOND LEE: Sir, in the event of an epidemic, such as hepatitis or cholera, will Government take additional measures against food items coming across the Chinese border?
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Certainly, Sir, if there were such an epidemic and the indications were that it was a result of the consumption of imported meat, I am sure that the authorities concerned would take additional measures to stop the importation of meat likely to cause these problems.
DR. IP: This is not a second supplementary question. I do not think the Secretary has answered my previous supplementary question. May I also add that local cooked meats are from animals that are slaughtered in the rigid hygienic conditions in local abattoirs.
SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE: Sir, I am not sure that I quite take Dr. IP's point. As I said in my earlier answer, it seems to me that the important thing is that meat which is sold is subject to proper controls. There are obviously controls on the abattoirs which ensure that animals which are killed in Hong Kong are properly inspected. There are also provisions in the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance for ensuring that foodstuffs sold in Hong Kong are also up to standard and I think that the combination of these two procedures should ensure that food sold here is safe.
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