Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ17: Organic food certification
Following is a question by the Hon Ho Kai-ming and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(March 1):
Question:
There is currently no legislation regulating the production, certification,
labelling, sale etc. of organic food products. The Government commissioned in
2011 a consultancy study on whether the production and sale of local organic
food products should be regulated. The consultancy study concluded that there
was no pressing need to introduce such legislation. In addition, the Government
indicated in a consultation document entitled New Agricultural Policy:
Sustainable Agricultural Development in Hong Kong published in 2014 that the
authorities had put in place an Organic Farming Support Service and actively
encouraged and supported local farmers to develop organic farming. Given the
robust development of the organic food market in recent years, will the
Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it will conduct afresh a study on the regulation of the production,
sale etc. of local organic food products, including regulation by way of
legislation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) of the authorities' measures to forestall the situation where the regulatory
mechanism for organic food products lags behind the development of the industry;
and
(3) as some unscrupulous traders deceive consumers by selling non-organic food
products as organic ones, whether the authorities will establish a mechanism to
investigate and follow up such complaints; if so, of the details; if not, the
reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
Different regions/countries have different definitions on organic food. Also,
the certification standards and methods vary.
Fresh vegetables are currently the most significant type of locally produced
organic food product. In 2000, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department (AFCD) launched the Organic Farming Conversion Scheme (later renamed
as the Organic Farming Support Service (OFSS)). The OFSS helps local farmers
transform from conventional farming to organic farming through the provision of
technical support, including support in horticultural skills, soil fertility
management, pest and disease control and seed saving, with a view to
facilitating local farmers to open up new markets and enhance their
competitiveness with the production of high quality vegetables. As at February
2017, 299 farms in Hong Kong had joined the AFCD's OFSS. One-third of them
joined in the past five years. Occupying a total land area of 108 hectares,
these 299 organic farms produce about six tonnes of organic vegetables per day
on average, accounting for less than 0.3% of the total fresh vegetables supply
in Hong Kong.
The Government has all along been promoting organic food labelling. With funding
from the Agricultural Development Fund under the Vegetable Marketing
Organization (VMO), the Hong Kong Organic Resource Centre (HKORC) has started to
provide voluntary certification service for farmers since December 2002. The
HKORC has established a set of stringent guidelines with reference to
international standards, i.e. guidelines of the International Federation of
Organic Agriculture Movements, to ensure that the process adopted by organic
farms complies with the certification standards of organic farming and
production. Certified farms may attach a label of the certification body to
their products for easy identification. Organic food products certified by the
HKORC include vegetables, cultured fish and other processed food. The HKORC
conducts regular surveys to monitor the market situation.
The Government commissioned a consultancy study in 2011 to assess the need for
regulating the production and sale of local organic food products (including
organic agricultural products). In view of the small scale of the local organic
food sector and the fact that the Government's main policy objectives in respect
of food are to ensure food safety and secure stable food supply, the consultancy
report advised that there was no pressing need to introduce new legislation to
regulate the production and sale of local organic food products.
The consultant recommended that the Government should enhance consumer
education, enrich consumers' knowledge of organic food and promote certification
of organic products by administrative measures. The consultant's recommendations
were reported to the Legislative Council Panel on Food Safety and Environmental
Hygiene in 2013. The Government has thereafter strengthened consumer education
on organic food products, supported the trade to continue the promotion of
organic food labelling and reminded consumers of recognising the certification
labels issued by organic food certification bodies.
My reply to the three parts of the question is as follows:
(1) to (2) The major differences between organic food and ordinary food are
their ways of production, processing and handling. Such differences cannot be
detected by testing the food products (including vegetables). There is no
significant difference between the two in terms of food safety. The Government
attaches great importance to food safety. All food for sale in Hong Kong for
human consumption (either organic or ordinary food) must comply with the same
set of statutory standards for food safety and quality, as well as labelling
requirements to ensure its fitness for human consumption. The Centre for Food
Safety, through the risk-based food surveillance programme, takes food samples
(including organic food) at the import, wholesale and retail levels for testing.
The Government will continue to enhance consumer education on organic food,
enrich consumers' knowledge of organic food, strengthen the technical support
for farmers and improve the existing administrative measures, including further
promoting the certification scheme, streamlining the certification procedures
and promulgating a reporting mechanism for food fraud (including false claim of
organic food). The Government will also continue to keep in view the latest
international development on the regulation of organic food and review the local
circumstances and needs from time to time.
(3) Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (the Ordinance) (Cap. 362), any
person who, in the course of any trade or business, makes false or misleading
statements in respect of the goods (including organic food) he supplies commits
an offence. The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) may take enforcement
actions according to the Ordinance. C&ED has been proactively handling
complaints related to false trade description, adopting a risk-based approach in
prioritising its enforcement actions. After securing a reasonable amount of
details, it will conduct in-depth investigation and evidence gathering on the
complaints, and take appropriate enforcement actions having regard to the
particular facts and evidence of the cases.
Ends/Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Issued at HKT 13:05
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