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Over 100 Seafood Eateries / Outlets and Seawater Suppliers Accredited under the Quality Seawater Assurance Scheme

Over 100 eateries and outlets from seven local seafood traders and seawater supplier were among the first batch of successful applicants of the Quality Seawater Assurance Scheme (QSAS) who were presented with certificates at a ceremony today (27 June 2006) officiated by Mrs Carrie Yau, Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food (Food and Environmental Hygiene), HKSAR Government.

Initiated by the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau (HWFB) of the HKSAR Government, with the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) appointed as the Accrediting Body, the QSAS was launched in January 2006.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Carrie Yau said, "The QSAS is the Government's latest initiative to assist the trade to improve the quality of seawater used for keeping live seafood. We hope the Scheme would encourage self-regulation among the trade. It is also the objective of the Scheme to enhance the quality of fish tank water throughout the entire supply chain of seawater so as to minimize the risk of contamination of seafood for the protection of public health. In addition, with the implementation of the Scheme, the public will be better informed of the quality of the fish tank water of seafood restaurants and sales outlets."

"We believe that through attaining accreditation under the Scheme, a seafood trader can strengthen the consumers' confidence in the quality of their seafood and fish tank seawater, thus attracting more business. This will bring about a win-win outcome for everyone," she said.

According to Mr K K Yeung, Executive Director of HKPC, to uphold Hong Kong's reputation as a gourmet paradise and for the protection of public health, it is crucial to enhance the hygiene management of the entire food supply chain. He said, "Out of the 12,000 restaurants, supermarkets and food outlets in Hong Kong, over 10% are selling live seafood. However there were various instances where vibrio cholera and E.Coli were found in the fish tank water of seafood outlets. Apart from posing a potential threat to public health, these incidents will also tarnish the image of the local food and catering industry. The main cause of these problems lies in the unregulated abstraction of natural seawater in Hong Kong, as well as the use of inefficient filtration and disinfection systems by the seafood outlets."

He said, "Appointed by the HWFB as the independent Accrediting Body of the QSAS, HKPC started to develop the accreditation criteria and consulted the major stakeholders of the trade last year, and launched the Scheme in January 2006. Apart from conducting evaluation of the applicants according to the respective accreditation criteria of the 'Accredited Quality Seawater Supplier' or the 'Quality Seawater Logo Holder' status, HKPC also arranges unscheduled on-site audit of the accredited organizations to ensure that they continue to comply with such criteria."

"During the audit, HKPC consultants have also suggested improvement measures to the applicants to enhance their current practices in seawater collection, as well as the design and maintenance of their in-house filtration and disinfection systems. Through participation in the Scheme, the applicants can attain the accreditation status, and further upgrade their seawater quality management," he said.

"Since the launch, we have received 150 applications. As the Scheme aims to enhance the quality of fish tank water at source and for the entire supply chain of seawater, we would like to call on the support of not just seafood restaurants and sales outlets to apply for the 'Quality Seawater Logo Holder' status, but also seawater suppliers and seafood wholesalers to apply for the 'Accredited Quality Seawater Supplier' status," he said.

The first batch of successful applicants includes over 100 outlets at different locations. They come from seven local organizations - China Resources Vanguard (Hong Kong) Co Ltd, Federal Restaurants (Group) Ltd, Fish Marketing Organization, Lychee Garden Chinese Restaurant – Hotel Concourse, PARKnSHOP, Tao Heung Holding Ltd, and Wellcome.

Under the QSAS, business operators can apply for two types of accreditation status - the "Accredited Quality Seawater Supplier" and the "Quality Seawater Logo Holder". Seawater suppliers who abstract, treat or deliver seawater or seafood can apply for the former, while seafood restaurants and sales outlets can apply for the latter. Successful applicants of "Quality Seawater Logo Holders" are entitled to display the "Quality Seawater Logo" in their premises. Valid for one year, the accreditation status can be renewed annually subject to compliance with the accreditation criteria.

At the ceremony today, the representatives from the successful applicants also shared their experience in seawater quality assurance and management.

For further information on the QSAS, please contact HKPC's Mr Kenny Wong at tel. (852) 2788 5647, or e-mail: kenny@hkpc.org.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms Betty Lee
General Manager
Corporate Communications and Events
Tel: (852) 2788 5895
Fax: (852) 2788 5056
E-mail: justina@hkpc.org
Website: www.hkpc.org

27 June 2006