Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ19: FEHD conducts routine and surprise checks on meat retail outlets
Following is a question by the Hon. Fred Li Wah-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment and Food, Mrs Lily Yam, in the Legislative Council meeting today (June 5):
Question
At present, most superstores have set up stalls selling various kinds of fresh meat. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it has found cases in which chilled meat was sold as fresh meat at such stalls in the past two years; if it has, of the number of such cases and the follow-up actions taken;
(b) of the method the authorities use to determine whether the meat for sale at such stalls is fresh or chilled;
(c) whether it has verified the authenticity of the information on the sources and wholesalers concerning the fresh meat for sale at such stalls; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(d) whether it will consider introducing legislation to require meat retailers to label clearly whether the meat for sale is fresh, chilled or frozen, so as to safeguard consumers' right to information; if so, of the legislative timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Answer
(a) The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) conducts routine and surprise inspections on supermarkets with fresh meat stalls. In the past two years, FEHD has not found instances where supermarkets sell chilled meat under the guise of fresh meat.
(b) Since September 2000, the lease or licensing conditions of all meat retail outlets specify that all purchase invoices must be retained for at least 60 days. The invoices should indicate the purchase date, the goods description, the amount, and information on the supplier. When conducting routine or surprise inspections, FEHD officers examine whether meat retailers have fresh meat purchasing invoices issued by the two licensed slaughterhouses, and whether they have other chilled meat purchasing invoices. The officers check if the quantity of goods listed in the receipts matches the physical inventory. To ensure that the checking is not complicated by the flow of goods, FEHD conducts these inspections in the morning at the beginning at the trading hours of retail outlets. If these shops have chilled meat purchasing invoices, FEHD officers will conduct inspections on the spot to see if the chilled meat is stored in appropriate temperatures in a chiller for sale in accordance with the provisions in the licensing conditions.
(c) All fresh meat sold in Hong Kong must come from licensed slaughterhouses, which have a sophisticated system for issuing purchase invoices. Currently, FEHD requires that all meat retailers must retain the invoices issued by the slaughterhouses. Since 2001, the two licensed slaughterhouses have begun to issue computer-generated purchase invoices. During each inspection, FEHD officers check whether a fresh meat retailer has purchasing invoices issued by the slaughterhouses to ascertain the source of the fresh meat.
(d) Since September 2001, FEHD has specified in the lease or licence conditions of meat stalls or fresh provision shops that all chilled and frozen meat must be stored in a chiller at specified temperatures. Accordingly, there is no need for further labelling of whether the meat is fresh, chilled, or frozen. We therefore do not consider it necessary to legislate to require retailers to label these different kinds of meat.
Wednesday, June 5, 2002