Trace-to-source management for food supplied to HK and Macao

Updated: Oct 18, 2017 chinadaily.com.cn Print

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Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau is striving to make the source of its food supplies for Hong Kong and Macao traceable across the board with the bureau recently expanding its source-tracing system for vegetables to cover more products such as fresh milk.

Since 2013, the southern Chinese province has developed and applied a source-tracing system for vegetables provided to Hong Kong and Macao. The system was originally piloted in Dongguan, Zengcheng district and Panyu district of Guangzhou and then promoted across the province. The system has ensured a whole-process source tracing, covering information including farms, vegetable processing companies, test data for pesticide residue and casual inspection data from inspection and quarantine departments.

Officals from Guangdong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau examine fish to be transported to Hong Kong. [Photo/Southcn.com]

To further promote the informatization management for food provided to Hong Kong and Macao, Guangdong is now making full use of technologies including big data, cloud computing to promote the new regulatory system featuring "internet plus food provided to Hong Kong and Macao".

The regulatory system was first implemented in Dongguan and Zhaoqing, which are main cities providing food for Hong Kong and Macao. By applying the system to the fresh milk sector, a real-time monitoring system was set up which records the information including the temperature of the milk tank at the farm, itinerary and temperature of milk transporting vehicles, and microorganism data.

Guangdong is the main food provider for Hong Kong and Macao and currently supplies more than 1,600 tons of vegetables, 190 tons of aquatic products and 50 tons of fresh milk to the two places every day. Every year, nearly 1.5 million tons of food worth $2.3 billion is supplied to Hong Kong and Macao from Guangdong.