The government is planning to draft further regulations on food safety by 2017, according to the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) president Alex Vong.
“We have administrative regulations [ensuring food safety.] And by 2017, we will introduce more regulations on this matter,” he told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Mr Vong also revealed that IACM is currently training 300 food inspection professionals.
Public concern over recent food safety scares has led lawmakers to criticize the authorities’ response to food sampling. Complaints about prawns injected with jelly being sold in Macau, and of contaminated Taiwanese Horng Ryen Jen sandwiches, have sparked further controversy.
Lawmaker Melinda Chan delivered a spoken enquiry calling on the government to improve its food safety measures. She urged Macau’s administration to improve its imported food sampling system, and regularly monitor potential risks to food safety.
Mr Vong assured lawmakers that, “currently Macau follows a set criteria for food inspection and analysis. We also follow [suggestions] from the Food Safety Committee while taking into consideration China’s food safety criteria as well.”
He recalled that since establishing a food safety center, IACM has drafted a list of food products that are banned from Macau’s supermarkets and shops.
(macaunews/ macaudailytimes)
