The 7th Food Safety Forum – Food Supply Resilience and Traceability Spotlighted as Omicron Variant Prevails

Hong Kong, 1 December, 2021 – GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) hosted the 7th Food Safety Forum with the theme “Food Safety in Times of Crisis: Rethink, Reset, Revive” today, exploring ways to tackle the food safety and supply issues caused by the lasting pandemic. Dr. Chui Tak-yi, Under Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR Government, had attended in-person as the Guest of Honour, whereas Mr. Anthony Lai, Deputy Secretary for Food and Health (Food) 2 from the Food and Health Bureau also participated as Award Presenter. Executives from Dah Chong Hong Holdings, DKSH Hong Kong, Federation of Hong Kong Industries, foodpanda, Kerry Logistics (HK), Maxim’s Caterers, Nestlé HK, SGS Hong Kong shared their wisdom on food safety management in the new normal landscape and its future development.

As threat of Omicron variant looms, food industry experts are concerned that it will once again disrupt the global supply chain causing shipping delay and cost spike, thereby affecting local food supply and food safety.

Dr. Chui Tak-yi reassured the HKSAR Government efforts in stable food supply, “With over 90% of the food in Hong Kong being imported from other places, a reliable food supply chain for steady and sufficient provision of food is of prime importance. For this reason, we accord high priority to ensuring an uninterrupted flow of essential supply for the food trade while guarding against the spread of COVID.”

Ms. May Chung, Chairperson of GS1 HK’s Food and Beverage Industry Advisory Board, and General Manager of Nestlé Hong Kong Ltd called for strengthened measures on food safety management, “While supply chain disruption and food safety management have imposed huge challenges for the food industry, they also emphasized the importance of strategic management filled by agility and global standards. In the post-COVID-19 era, people want to have more knowledge about the items they have purchased and the quality reassurance, that is why supply chain transparency is essential in addressing their concerns while enabling manufacturers to make better business planning.”

At the Pioneers Panel Discussion, Mr. Anthony Lam, Executive Deputy Chairman & Chairman of Group 8 (Food, Beverage and Tobacco), Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI), Mr. Michael Kwok, Head of Hong Kong Food Group, DCH Holdings Ltd., Mr. Billy Yeung, Director, Distribution Center Operations, DKSH Hong Kong, Mr. Anthony Wan, Deputy General Manager - Food & Beverage, Kerry Logistics (HK) Ltd. and Mr. Ben Tsang, Vice President, Knowledge Solutions, NEA, SGS Hong Kong Ltd., analysed and discussed the food supply chain weaknesses and their impact on food safety and traceability, and proposed solutions for food industry with “Go Digital, Go Smart” strategies. 

Co-located with the Forum, the 1st edition of “Quality Food Scheme+” award presentation ceremony was organised to recognise the achievement of 16 food-related companies that demonstrated outstanding performance in food safety management, control and traceability. With SGS HK as the audit partner of “Quality Food Scheme+”, participating enterprises were assessed based on more comprehensive internationally accredited food safety standards, including GS1 Global Traceability Standard (GTS), ISO 22000 - Food Safety Management System Standard, as well as HACCP – Food Safety Control Standard. The 7th award presentation ceremony for “Quality Food Scheme” was also held at the venue. Please refer to appendix or visit www.gs1hk.org/zh-hk/quality-food-scheme for the winner list of both Schemes.

Ms. Anna Lin, Chief Executive of GS1 HK acknowledged the speakers’ insight and stressed that food safety is a shared responsibility, “The food & beverage industry is facing multiple challenges now, one of which is public trust in food safety. As always, GS1 HK will foster collaboration among the industry, Government and consumers to accelerate innovations and raise the bar of industry standards. It’s a pleasure to see that the first ‘Quality Food Scheme+’ has been well received by the industry; which means when consumers see the new Scheme logo, they can feel safer to buy and consume the brand’s products.” 

Photo download link: https://gs1hongkong.box.com/s/bdpko1ketfcki9mdyhlupy4qahc24l3q. 

Appendix
Recognised Companies of “Quality Food Scheme+” (in alphabetical order):

Diamond Enterprise 
•    Café de Coral Holdings Ltd.
•    FrieslandCampina (Hong Kong) Limited
•    Hop Hing Oils & Fats (Hong Kong) Ltd.
•    Kerry Logistics Network Limited.
•    Maxim's Caterers Ltd.
•    Nestlé Hong Kong Ltd.
•    Sims Trading Co. Ltd.
•    Swire Coca-Cola HK Ltd.
•    Tong Shun Hing Poultry (HK) Co. Ltd.
•    Vitasoy International Holdings Ltd.
•    Wyeth Nutrition Hong Kong

Gold Enterprise 
•    Common Good Trading Ltd. (Green Common)
•    DCH Food Mart
•    International Gourmet Foods Ltd.
•    Sun Fat Heung Food Products Ltd. (Top Soya)
•    Tai Luen Coffee Company Ltd.

Recognised Companies of “Quality Food Scheme” (in alphabetical order):

Diamond Enterprise 
•    Tsit Wing International Holdings Ltd.

Gold Enterprise 
•    AEON Stores (Hong Kong) Co. Ltd.
•    DCH Logistics Co. Ltd.

Silver Enterprise 
•    Aquaculture Technologies Asia Ltd.

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Media Contacts

Corinna Fung
Telephone: +852 2863 9787
Email: corinnafung@gs1hk.org

Will Ip
Telephone: +852 2863 9763
Email: willip@gs1hk.org

About GS1 Hong Kong
Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) is the local chapter of GS1®, which supports companies’ digitalisation to enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency, ensure product authenticity, and facilitate online and offline commerce with global supply chain standards (product identification key and barcode) and a full spectrum of standard-based platforms, solutions and services.

Currently, GS1 HK has around 8,000 corporate members covering close to 20 industries including retail consumer goods, food and food services, healthcare, apparel, logistics as well as information and technology. By engaging with communities of trading partners, industry organisations, government, and technology providers, GS1 HK is fostering a collaborative ecosystem with the vision of “Smarter Business, Better Life”.

Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1® is a not-for-profit, standards organisation that has 115 national chapters serving 150 economies globally. For more information, please visit www.gs1hk.org.