By Zhu Zhe (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-01 09:38

The mainland will intensify cooperation with the Hong Kong government to further improve food quality in the special administrative region, the country's top quality control official said on Friday.

Li Changjiang, minister of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said that cooperation would focus on the increased exchange of information, updating of safety standards and improvement of laboratory facilities.

"We've been attaching great importance to the safety of food exported to Hong Kong," Li told visiting Hong Kong Food and Health Secretary York Chow.

Chow said Hong Kong imported 90 percent of its foodstuffs, with 60 percent of supplies coming from the mainland.

In the first seven months of this year, the mainland exported 300,000 tons of fresh vegetables, 165,000 tons of meat, 75,000 tons of aquatic products, 850,000 live pigs, 4.6 million live poultry and 50 million eggs to Hong Kong.

At the same time, the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department conducted two extensive studies of food quality. These revealed that 99.2 percent and 99.6 percent of food on the local market was up to standard.

"The results show that the quality of our food exported to Hong Kong can be guaranteed," Li said. But he acknowledged that problems remain and that the two sides should intensify cooperation to ensure that all exported food is safe.

Chow thanked the mainland inspection and quarantine departments for their efforts to prevent substandard products from reaching Hong Kong.

He also applauded the recent moves by the central government to improve food safety and product quality, and pledged Hong Kong's support for the campaign.