In order to promote technical exchanges and cooperative development of Macao, the Mainland and Hong Kong in the area of food safety, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) held the “Experts Talks on 2023 World Food Safety Day and Food Safety” on 13 June, inviting representatives from food safety supervision authorities of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to deliver keynote speeches on topics such as the application of food safety technology, the implementation of food safety standards, and the development of the food markets in the Greater Bay Area, and to have in-depth exchange of views with other attendants. More than 400 representatives from the local food sector, related associations, academic institutions and government departments attended the event.

The experts talks held in the morning were mainly for representatives from the food and beverage sector and related chambers of commerce. First, Xu Jin, Deputy Director of the Risk Assessment Office I of the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment delivered as a keynote speech titled “The Latest Intelligent Rapid Screening and Detection Technologies Developed by the Mainland and Related Food Safety Standards”, introducing how the application of relevant technologies can help the government and the sector to achieve better implementation of food safety standards. Afterwards, Lei Yi, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Institute of Food Inspection, shared the work and vision of the food markets integration process in the Greater Bay Area, and Dr. Yeung Tze Kiu, a consultant of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the Centre for Food Safety of Hong Kong, introduced the difficulties and challenges Hong Kong encountered when formulating, implementing and promoting food safety standards.

The experts talks in the afternoon were mainly for representatives from the public, associations and academic institutions. Yu Hangyu, Associate Researcher at the Standards Office I of the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, was invited to introduce the construction and progress of the national food safety standard system for the participants to understand the latest developments in the food safety standards of the Mainland. In addition, Cheong Kuai Tat, Head of the Department of Food Safety of IAM, shared the state of Macao’s food safety standard work with the participants on the topic of “How to Correctly Understand Macao’s Food Safety Standards”.

Through holding experts talks, IAM hopes to build a food safety exchange platform, promote the interconnection and intercommunication of food safety information in the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, facilitate closer cooperation among departments, enable the sector and the public to better grasp the latest food safety developments, and contribute to the synergistic development of the food markets in the Greater Bay Area.